All Bruises and Scars Sooner Return
by Crystalteen
Summary: All that Sondra wanted was to have a great fifteenth birthday since it's her first one with Johnny as her boyfriend and having the rest of the Curtis' gang by her side...but what happens when everything takes such a gigantic twist in her life after one of Buck's parties get out of hand? This is the sequel to "Bruises and Scars Last Longer than You Think!"
1. Still A Disordered Life?

**A/N: Like I promised, here is the sequel to "Bruises and Scars Last Longer than You Think!" **

**I promise that I'll try my best to give you all much suspense, twists, turns, cliffhangers, etc! I've been plotting out this story for a few months now, and since I got a good chunk of it figured out, I decided that now would be a perfect time to start! Also, this is my first 'The Outsiders' fanfic where I'll _probably_ start going into the characters POV's here and there! Enjoy chapter one! :) :D Reviews make my day... ;)**

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**_Chapter 1_**

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_Nobody's POV_

Sondra Prescott stared out Charlie Meier's guest room window one dark and chilly October night. She didn't understand why, but she just loved to lean on the windowsill in a pair of pajamas and look out, taking in the fresh smell of the cool breeze and gaze off into the beautiful view of all of the stars. They looked like billions of sparkling gems, flashing themselves about and each one somehow being different from all of the rest. Sondra didn't see that though; not even Johnny Cade got her to believe that every star was different in a good way. To her, all of the stars looked exactly the same, waiting in line to twinkle and show itself off to the others.

"Why can't I be happy with what I have?" Sondra quietly asked herself, still having her eyes lost in the stars. "I got a bunch of new friends, my first _true _boyfriend that loves me for me, and my abusive parents are no longer a part of my life, but...is something else missing from my life? Do I need to do something else to feel thrilled? Do I need to snatch others attention somehow and get them to envy me?"

Sondra didn't get it...she figured that she'd be overjoyed since her and her little sister are finally getting the life that they deserved since they were born, but it turns out that it was like there was this huge gap that needed to be filled with something else in order to make her life complete. But what could it be?

Dominic Prescott was the first to die when Darry Curtis shot him for self-defense after what he did to Dally. Spring Prescott, on the other hand, was found lying on her side on the bathroom floor of a gas station. All kinds of different pills that she got from God knows where were scattered all around her numb looking and extremely pale and cold body. She was lifeless, and her eyes remained opened, completely glassy...she committed suicide after realizing that the fuzz was on a search for her so they could bring her into the station and arrest her. Spring figured that she was going to get the death penalty if the police caught her, so she took no hesitation to overdose and end her life herself.

Every pump that was made in Sondra's chest contained something or somebody else that meant a whole lot to her. Her heart wouldn't stop singing...

_Pump..._Johnny Cade...

_Pump..._Dallas Winston...

_Pump..._Iris...

_Pump..._Kitten Andrews...

_Pump..._Two-Bit Mathews...

_Pump..._Possibly a new home...

So on and so on. The Curtis' greasers gang and Sondra's mini 'gang' wouldn't stop ringing in her head or bursting through her heart.

Sondra curled up one of her fingers and pressed it against her pouting lips as she walked away from the window and gazed at herself in the new mirror that Charlie had recently put in there for a part of changing his guest rooms into new bedrooms for Sondra and Iris.

Sondra studied herself, seeing that nothing has really changed about her over the three long weeks that passed since the night when she and Johnny became a couple. Her golden blonde hair was still all shaggy, touching the tops of her shoulders, and her pale blue eyes weren't any different either. She was still a tomboy, which she liked, but she couldn't get rid of that empty feeling inside of her. What else could she possibly need to start a happy life in her eyes?

Suddenly, there were a couple of little knocks coming from the opposite side of the white wooden door. With wide eyes, Sondra quickly snatched her knee-length, yellow robe that Rebecca got her and tied it on since all she was wearing was a plaid pair of pajama shorts and a white T-shirt that revealed everything bellow her ribs. Her black bra could be seen through the white fabric too.

"Come in!"

The fourteen-year-old tomboy watched the door as it slowly creaked open, as if she was in a scene from a horror film, but Sondra was never scared when she was under Charlie's roof unless one of her mini 'gang' members had their temper snap.

"...Sondra?" It was little Iris, standing in the now wide open doorway with a stuffed giraffe being held in one of her hands, and in the other, she was clenching her pink and white cane.

"Iris, what are you doing up? It's 10:00; you were supposed to be in bed an hour ago. Didn't Charlie-arlie tuck you in before going to bed himself since he had a hard day at his new job earlier today?" questioned Sondra with a gentle, but concerned mixed voice.

"...I couldn't...sleep..." Iris stuttered, but she was smiling widely. Others would find that sort of adorable, while some would just find it pure creepy. Those weren't either of Sondra's words to describe how she felt when she saw Iris grin like that though. It was upsetting to a whole new level.

"Why couldn't you sleep this time?" Sondra asked, keeping the sorrow out of her voice the best that she could, but it was exposed all over her face.

The oldest female Prescott watched the younger one continue to flash her huge, slimly cute grin, but instead of getting any direct answer, Sondra was met with silence. She watched, not saying a word as Iris began to walk, taking her careful time as she tapped her cane gently back and forth on the wooden floor, until she felt the bottom of her cane meet one of the dark brown feet of Sondra's new bed that Charlie had built.

"Is there...something on my head, Sondra?" Iris giggled as she sat herself down on the plush covers and laid back, cuddling with her stuffed giraffe. "I swear...there is something on my...head, Sondra...I can feel it..."

Sondra crossed her arms over her chest and tried her best to hold the tears back, but they were begging to be released. Pain started to form in Sondra's throat, but she took in a soft, shaky breath to herself and released it just as quietly.

"There is nothing on your head, Iris. It's just your imagination." Sondra informed the soon-to-be-eight-year-old girl as she walked back over to the white door and peeked into the hallway, making sure that Charlie wasn't suddenly standing out there from being woken up. Seeing nobody there though, Sondra knew that everything was fine and she quietly shut the door again.

"But I...can feel it..." Iris defended herself, batting her grayish-whitish eyes with complete innocence, no longer grinning. Nonetheless, it took only a few silent seconds before that big smile popped back across Iris' face. "Sondra...guess what I...was told today..."

"What were you told today, Iris?" Sondra continued to keep her sorrow stored inside of her the best that she could.

"I was told...by a talking rabbit that...if I be a good girl...it'll get me a blue...schoolgirl tie. Funny, huh?"

"...Yeah, that's quite somethin', little sis." Sondra forced some phony chuckles out from her lips as she walked back across the room so she could close the window and lock it, but not without stealing one final peek at the stars.

In Iris' condition with her brain damage, she already had to take a specific pill everyday so she wouldn't forget anything or anybody. However, ever since the different deaths of their parents, Iris' brain seemed to go through another malfunction because she was so young and didn't really understand the abuse. All she did understand was the fact that her parents were gone forever, and that caused her to form a new disorder that caused her to see, hear, and sometimes even feel things that aren't really there. It's all her mind messing with her, and seeing that this was just her almost eight-year-old kid sister, Sondra was crushed about it.

"Iris, why don't you sleep with me again tonight?" Sondra offered, this being atleast the fifth time since Iris first got her new disorder.

"...Okay...thank you..."

Sondra dragged her feet against the floor, pouting away at her little sister just lying there, staring blankly up at the ceiling with no problem with the light shining in her eyes since she was already blind. Sighing quietly to herself, Sondra then placed Iris' cane beside the bed and helped her sit back up for atleast a minute so she could pull the covers back.

"Good night, Iris." Sondra said after she turned off the lights and wrapped her arms around her kid sister's waist, holding her close underneath the warm sheets of the bed.

"...Good night, Mom."

At Iris' bedtime farewell, Sondra's eyes shot huge and flooded with a mixture of plead and sorrow. She knew that Iris always wanted a mother that was loving and sweet, generous and helpful. Sondra always wanted that herself, but she never imagined Iris calling her something like that. Was it because of her new mind disorder or because she honestly felt that Sondra was more like a mother than a sister? Sondra never imagined herself as a mother, considering that she was just turning fifteen the next day. What could she do about it though? There was no way she was going to tell Iris to never call her that again.

Sondra finally closed her eyes again and gently touched Iris' head, stroking her long hair until they both fell fast asleep.

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_Sondra's POV_

Fifteen...fifteen long, straight years...that's all that I could think about after my eyes slowly began to open up to be greeted with sunlight lighting up the room. It felt so different to wake up in a place that didn't smell like sweat, cigarettes, and alcohol on my birthday. Usually, my parents would be cursing and throwing things downstairs, spitting and bickering continuously at each other while I tried to ignore the hurtful words and scarring tones by burring my head underneath my pillow. However, it wouldn't be long before my old man would be stomping up the stairs, leaving my mother to cry as he kicked my door open, drunker than ever before, and he would beat the living heck out of me. There were tons of times where I pretended to still be asleep, but it wouldn't be long before my father would drag me out of my bed by yanking me by my ankles and kicking me hard over and over again after I landed on the floor.

My father used to tell me that birthdays meant nothing special since he thought that it meant that you were only another year closer to being berried at the cemetery. I never thought of birthdays like that though. I wish that I could've been excited like anybody would on their birthday, but I didn't have my mini 'gang' to celebrate it with this year, and I didn't know what the Curtis' greasers gang were up to today.

I began to move my arms so I could push the covers off of me, but I stopped all of the sudden when it clicked to me that Iris wasn't resting beside me anymore.

"Iris?" I looked all around the room from where I was resting in the bed, but all I got in response was silence. "Iris! Where are you?" I called out, quickly jumping up into a sitting position as I gazed down at the floor that was on Iris' side of the bed to make sure that she didn't roll off, but she wasn't there.

That's when I really began to get worried. It was my fifteenth birthday and to start it off, I had no idea where my blind kid sister with different brain disorders was. Just as I was about to leap right out of the bed and go running through the whole house to find Iris or Charlie, my eyes hooked onto something that was on the nightstand. There, being forced to lean against the pink lamp by a pen, was a note. In the timing that I was in, I took no hesitation to snatch over the piece of paper and lock my full attention on the words in black pen.

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**Sondra,**

**So I see that Iris couldn't sleep by herself again, huh? **

**You know what the doctor said; we can't keep allowing her to rest with us if we want her to break through this disorder at some point.**

** With the trial coming up in just a few more weeks, we need Iris to get healed as much as possible so she won't make any mistakes and risk my demand for custody go down. **

**Y****ou know that I love you both; I'm just thinking about what's best for us, the rest of the gang, and our new greaser pals.**

**I took Iris to Rebecca's for more reading and writing lessons, and I'll be heading out to work at the site with Darry, so I won't be back until later on tonight. **

**I'm sorry that I can't be with you today, but I want you to know that I wish you a happy fifteenth birthday! **

**Stay safe and have a great birthday, birthday girl!**

**Love you!**

**Sincerely your,**

**Your good pal Charlie :)**

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At the mention of Iris' disorder and the doctors orders, I couldn't help myself to sniffle a little. Apparently, the doctor said that this disorder heals itself, but it takes quite some time before it finally leaves somebody's system. In order to have the person with the disorder get rid of it, they usually have to be left alone to go through the images, language, and feelings that their mind is playing them all by themselves. I can't bare to allow my little sister go through that, no matter what some crumby doctor says.

Atleast the other half of the letter about my birthday and how he really cares about me got a small smile to tug its way onto my face. I gave Charlie's signature a quick little kiss before placing the note back down onto the nightstand and getting up from the bed.

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**A/N: So that's the first chapter! I apologize if it wasn't so thrilling, but every first chapter isn't full of THAT MUCH thrill, but don't worry...we'll totally get there. *wink, wink*. Like I said, reviews make me happy... ;) ;)**

**The more reviews I get, the faster I'll try updating... ;) ;) ;) **

**Trust me, the next chapter will be better! Stay tuned! :D :D :) :)**


	2. The Cobras & Johnny's Present

**A/N: Please review! You all have no idea how much they mean to me! Thank you to my first ever reviewer! :D**

**Enjoy chapter 2!**

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**Chapter 2**

_Sondra's POV_

Lucky for me, it wasn't that cold outside today. The sun was perfectly shining in the clear blue sky, and I didn't see any clouds in sight. This must've been the best October day Tulsa has received so far this month, but I should've considered that no matter what it's like outside, you should never leave the indoors with your hair wet. After I left Charlie's house, it was too late to turn back and wait until my hair dried from my shower itself. I figured that the faster I got out the door, the faster I would be able to find something to do or somebody to hang out with for my birthday.

What did I want today? I didn't want any material objects, to be honest. I just wanted to have a great fifteenth birthday since this is my first one without by abusive parents, and I had Johnny and the rest of the Curtis' gang by my side. However, since it was Friday, Ponyboy was off at school with Johnny, Steve, Kitten and maybe Two-Bit, and Darry and Soda were both off at work. As for Dally, I had no clue where he was, but I could guess that he was maybe at the Dingo or at Buck's, getting rip-roaring drunk or flirting with girls.

Maybe I should just go to the Curtis' house and kick back there until the gang arrived...yeah, that sounded like a good plan. How could my birthday be fantastic like I wished for it to be if I didn't have any of my friends or atleast my boyfriend by my side?

As I walked coolly down the street, I gazed around to see if anybody else was around, but strangely, I didn't see anyone. That wasn't like Tulsa; I mean, the streets were never _that _silent and deserted, especially during the day.

Oh, that's right. I rolled my eyes to myself and kept walking. I remember Dally saying something about this gigantic party at Buck's and that every greaser on their side of town was attending to get all drunk, high, and possibly laid from this morning to very early tomorrow. That is, if the fuzz doesn't bust them like at Buck's previous party.

No one from the Curtis' gang was attending that party though. Except Dally and Two-Bit, I mean. They was the only ones who ever dared going to Buck's place during one of his reckless and rule breaking parties. If Ponyboy or Soda dared to step a foot towards Buck's house, Darry would have their heads. Kitten, on the other hand, just didn't care about Buck's parties, just like Steve.

Sighing to myself after about ten minutes of nothing but silent walking and coming up with nothing to do for my birthday, I kicked back against a building's brick wall and brought out a cancer stick from my dark blue jean's pocket. Then I placed it inbetween my lips, snatching out a lighter that I 'borrowed' from Peter from my opposite pocket and I lit the end of my cigarette.

I only smoked whenever I wanted to look tougher than what I already was, or because I was heavily thinking about something. In this case, I couldn't figure out what to do for my fifteenth birthday.

I breathed in deep brags, waiting about three seconds with each breath I took in before I blew out the smoke. Johnny had told me that by doing that, it sometimes helped calm your nerves. He was right, but my fifteenth birthday still wouldn't stop echoing in my head.

Suddenly, I heard this smugly voice hollering out, "Hey! Hey you! Hey!"

Confusedly, I raised an eyebrow and began to stare all around to see if I could find anybody, but I didn't see a single soul anywhere in sight. Was my mind messing with me? No, it couldn't have been. I know exactly what I heard...

"Hey! We're over here, you idiot!" a different voice sassily growled, and when I turned my attention over in the direction where I heard the new voice, I saw a girl who looked maybe a year or two older than me. She had a harsh glare on her face, and her dark eyes were like nothing but ice. Her clothes were revealing, the ruffled up; green and black skirt meeting a little bellow her tan thighs, and a black top that you could actually see through, so you could see her bra. On her feet, she was wearing a pair of knee-length boots, so she seemed taller than what she truly was, and her dark brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail, drenched in hair grease.

"Who are you?" I asked, my eyes narrowed with absolute concern.

"You mean, nobody from the gang told you 'bout me?" she asked with absolute fury, but I wasn't scared of her at all.

I was only growing more confused. "Um...I don't think so..."

Whoever this girl was, she rolled her eyes and had her red lips separate, revealing almost all of her teeth. It looked like she was missing a few, which I could tell by the way that she looked with some bruises on her face that she must've been in a fight.

"Some big brother Dallas is..." this girl muttered with absolute annoyance.

Instantly, my eyes shot huge, and I choked on the smoke that I recently took in from a new drag. I came so close to accidentally dropping my cigarette.

"You mean...you're..." I coughed, too stunned to finish.

"Yes, I'm Amanda Winston. But on the streets, I'm known as Switchblade Sutton."

Why was she known as Switchblade Sutton? I didn't want to know, but I had a theory for the Switchblade part. That's when I realized that she had this small knife-sized bag clipped to her chain belt, and I began regretting how I forgot to snatch up my switchblade before leaving Charlie's. Sure, the blade was getting old and it was starting to bend easier, but it was better than nothing.

"...Now that you mention it, I do remember you." I said, trying my best to hide my slight fear that was beginning to swarm inside of me.

Amanda's anger seemed to grow more on her face, and I watched like a confused puppy as she stomped one of her feet twice, making the heel of her boot make a clicking sound against the concrete. Then she snapped her fingers a single time. Some boys instantly began to pile up behind her, walking all tough as they made themselves known by walking out of an alleyway.

Not knowing what to do, I just continued keeping my mouth shut and taking drags of my cigarette. The Cobras...those boys were the ones that Johnny, Kitten, Pony, and I saw grinding it up and twerking with all kinds of pathetic broads.

"Lester, Cameron, Jeskie, Riley, Jesse, meet the Regular that I told you five of you, as well as Poison, Ricky, and Rusty about." Amanda said as she crossed her arms over her chest and uncaringly rolled her eyes.

Again, my eyes grew huge. Did she just say...Jesse? As in...Jesse Sheldon? Bob Sheldon's older brother that Kitten used to date?

"You mean, this is the gal that's dating your ex?" the Cobra with an 'R' charm on his necklace asked as he rested an elbow on another one of the Cobra's shoulders. He must've been the Cobra that was named Riley.

"Yep, this is her," Amanda nodded her head, just as the Cobra with longish red hair hooked one of his arms around her shoulders and held her close to his side.

"Jonathan Cade dumped _you _for _her_, babe?"

Amanda clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes at me. "Yeah, Johnny ditched my ass for her, Jesse."

The Cobra with dark skin and long black hair that he had tied in braids laughed loudly.

"Hey, Cameron, what do you think he sees in a girl like her?"

"I don't know, Lester," the Cobra with a tattoo of a bulldog on his neck chuckled. "He must be into useless skanks."

That's when all of the Cobras, along with Amanda, formed smirks and started laughing at me like I wasn't even there.

I began to grow angry, feeling my face heat up to the point where I felt as if I was a flame of fire. Upsettingly, I pulled my lips back, my grinding teeth now exposed.

"Oh, right! This coming from the filthy Cobras that have nothing better to do with girls but inject them with their many transmitted diseases! And from the girl that's dressed like a pathetic skank herself!" I tried coming up with more insults to holler over their laughter, but when I couldn't come up with anything else, I took in a drag of my cigarette and blew the smoke at them. After that, I spit at them.

However, it wasn't long after I did that when Amanda decided to shrug Jesse's arm off from her so she could fly one of her clenched fists back. Before I saw it coming, I dropped my cigarette and fell flat on my back, a giant pain now resting in my cheek that was now beginning to pump red.

"You want to say that again, you worthless son-of-a-bitch?" Amanda bitterly challenged just as I sat up, holding my cheek with one of my hands while I kept the other to my side, furiously clenching tight.

"Who are you calling a worthless son-of-a-bitch, slut?" I blustered, but after I did so, I was greeted with a sharp kick in the ribs by a pointed toe boot, thanks to Jesse. God, what was Kitten going to do if she found out that Amanda Winston was dating her ex, Jesse Sheldon? Or what about Dally for that matter?

I wasn't in the mood for a fight; I hated fighting unless it was for self-defense. But today was different since it was my fifteenth birthday and all I wanted was to have a great day for a change. However, I couldn't control what I did when I grew furious.

I rested on my side, watching my cigarette burn against the concrete as I held the tears back and tried my best to ignore the Cobras mocking laughter and insults.

Suddenly, I felt somebody wrap their arms around me, grasping me by underneath my arms, and whoever they were yanked me straight up from the concrete.

At first, I yelped and tried my best to struggle away from whoever was holding me tight, but after I heard this furious tone holler out, "What in the hell is going on here?" I instantly knew that I had nothing to fear over. My fear might've vanished, but shock took its place.

_Dally's POV_

So far, my whole day was going by okay, I guess. I got out of the cooler around 7:00 and after the rest of the gang disappeared for work and school, except Johnny and Two-Bit who they were playing hooky, I got asked to leave the Curtis' residents by Johnnycake. Why? I had no idea, but it's fine with me, I guess. I just swiped a bottle of beer from the Curtis' fridge and left to go find Two-Bit since he only left before me because he knew that he owed me five bucks for losing our bet on who would win the previous drag race.

I've searched almost everywhere for that Mickey Mouse loving freak. I checked the bowling alley, the lot, the Dingo, the park, and the best store that sold beer, but he was still nowhere to be found. I swear, I'm not in the mood for some hide-and-seek game, especially for Two-Bit of all people. He couldn't have been at Buck's party because Two-Bit said that he was planning to go out later on that night with Kathy to the movies, and he wasn't just going to go to the party to get drunk, pass out, and then go out with a hangover bugging him.

Whatever though. I don't give a piece of crap. I'll try to find somebody else to bring to the party with me. Hm...wait a minute...today is Sondra's fifteenth birthday! Maybe I can take her and Johnny to Buck's so they can have some real teenage fun and...what the hell?! Is that my kid sister with 'em Cobras?! And what in the hell does she think she's wearing?!

I was just walking around the corner with my half drank bottle of beer when I saw Amanda and the Cobras laughing at some Regular that was lying there on the ground. I didn't need to think twice to know that that Regular was Sondra. She was the only Regular that ever dared to step a single foot on our side of town.

"What in the hell is going on here?" I bellowed out, those being the first words that popped into my mind to say after I bashed over to the scene and pulled Sondra back up from the ground. I continued holding her by her armpits when she suddenly started to attempt squirming herself free from my grip. What was she doing?! I was only trying to make sure she would remain standing up by the time I let her go! But after she heard my outburst, she stopped her yanking and just gave me that look of hers that gave it away that she was shocked. In return, I simply shrugged my shoulders, right before I gazed back in front of me and scowled furiously at my little sister and the Cobras.

"Hello, Dallas," Amanda simply greeted me with a smirk. "Long time no see, older brother."

"And I see you haven't change much since," I angrily hissed like a snake. "Now what in the world do you think you're wearing?!"

"Duh," Amanda uncaringly rolled her eyes at me as she placed her hands on her hips, squeezing them. It looked like to me she was trying to strike a pose or something like that. "I'm wearing something sexy. What else would a greaser gal wear?"

"Clothes that actually cover you up!" I replied as I angrily ran my free hand through my almost white hair. "You look like a complete sleaze!"

Without a second of waiting after my outburst, Amanda's teeth clenched, and she furiously clenched her hands together to the point where her knuckles started to turn pale. She couldn't hit me though; she knew that she couldn't throw a single punch at me and get away with it. I was much stronger and taller than her, and I always would be, no matter how tall her boots made her seem.

Suddenly, Amanda opened her big mouth and exclaimed at me, "And what 'bout you? You look like our old man with that beer bottle in your hand there! And what about that cold message in your eyes? All you need to do is knock a girl up and run out on her to be a perfect match!"

Sondra's eyes shot huge, swarming with plead like a lost puppy's as she cuffed her hands worriedly over her mouth. She knew that I couldn't help myself to snap whenever somebody, even if it was my own little sister, brought my pathetic excuse of a father up. Some dad he turned out to be...he abandoned my mom after he found out that she was pregnant with me. Amanda and...my, uh...I can't help myself to sigh on the inside when just thinking her name, but my other little sister, Hope, and Amanda came from my step-father.

Before I saw it coming, I swung my beer bottle forward and slammed Amanda straight across the face with it. The bottom half of the bottle broke off and fell to the sidewalk, shattered into many sharp pieces and spilling the remains of the liquid. "Don't you _ever_ talk about my old man!" I practically screamed at the top of my lungs.

Amanda let out a moan that was a mixture of anger and pain as she heartlessly stared at me, clenching her cheek from where the bottle somehow slit her skin and left a noticeable cut.

"You better watch your back, missy..." Amanda was suddenly shooting daggers at Sondra, growling her words like a vicious junkyard dog. Hm...could've fooled me.

Sondra crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow, a trick that she's gotten better with thanks to Mathews. Speaking of which, where is that jokester already?!

Now Sondra looked more confused, as if she was never scared. "What are you talkin' about?"

"Dally won't always be by your side to save you!" hissed Amanda as she wiped away the blood that was starting to trickle its way down her cheek. "Nobody will always be by your side to save you! Don't think you're just simply in the clear now after this! Johnny Cade should still be mine; he shouldn't be with some Regular like you! Just you wait! I'll get you back for this!"

"Let's just get out of here, Sutton. They're not worth it right now." a Cobra spoke up, this one with some crappy looking tattoo of some type of dog or something like that on his neck.

"Sutton?" I raised an eyebrow and began to burst out into a fit of my dark laughter. It wasn't long before Sondra carefully took the remained half of the broken bottle from my hands, but I didn't care about that.

"Do you got a problem with my name on the streets, bro?" Amanda snarled out her question, ignoring the redhead Cobra that was trying to pull her away from me and Sondra with the help of another Cobra that had his long hair tied back in different braids.

"Name on the streets?" I began to laugh harder, wiping away mocking tears from my eyes until I stopped and kept a straight face of pure anger and seriousness. "Why is it Sutton, sis? Is that the name of a street where you allowed every boy to get you laid?"

I thought that _I _was startled when Amanda brought up my old man, but after I said _that_ to her, her jaw dropped to the point where it looked as if it was about to hit the concrete. Her eyes were huge and full of shock, but as I smirked and nodded my head with satisfaction in myself, Amanda had another scowl flash its way across her face, and she proclaimed: "Oh, now it's _so _on, older brother!"

I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could get a word out, Amanda yanked out a blade from this small bag that she had in this small bag that was hanging from her ridiculous looking chain belt. Usually I would always be up for a good fight, but not today. I just wanted to find Two-Bit and get to Buck's party.

"I'm not going to fight you, Amanda!" I glared at her and crossed my arms over my chest, standing my ground. I've had a near death experience before, for Pete's sake! I almost had Johnny taken from my life! I'm not scared over a little blade!

"And whys that? Are you chicken?" Amanda was trying to reel me in, but I wasn't going to let her do so.

"You couldn't use that on me and you know it."

"Come on, Sutton. Just ignore him." said the Cobra with an 'R' charm necklace being worn around his neck.

"Riley is right, Sutton. He's nothin' to us. Let's just get back to Poison, Ricky and Rusty. They're inviting the other girls over back at the hangout." the redhead Cobra began to whisper in Amanda's ear. I had no idea what he was saying, but whatever it was, it must've been 'sweet' enough to have Amanda smiling and giggling a little before she finally tucked her blade back away and wrapped her arms around the redhead Cobra's neck. Then they kissed for about five seconds before parting, and Amanda locked her eyes on Sondra again, who was clenching the neck of the top half of the broken beer bottle to the point where her hands were trembling. Sondra didn't look scared though; she seemed more angry by the look that was shining in her pale blue eyes.

"Like I said, watch your back, you pathetic Regular..." Amanda warned one final time before she stared back at me and smirked slimly. "Good-bye, Dallas."

"...See you hopefully never again, skank." I muttered under my breath after the Cobras had turned away and walked off in the opposite direction. I figured that nobody would hear my words, but I was proven wrong when I gazed back at Sondra like nothing never happened and saw her staring at me.

"You know," she sighed, sounding relieved. "I would've used this broken bottle on her if she tried coming 'nother step towards you with that blade of hers."

At that, I couldn't help myself to chuckle, which had Sondra turning her head over like a confused puppy.

"Sondra, I know a person very well just by knowing them for a day. I've known you for three weeks and if there is one thing I know for sure, it's that you couldn't ever use a broken bottle on anybody. Hell, you can't even use that own switch of yours often."

"...You never know, Dal. I could surprise somebody." Sondra quietly spoke, sounding somewhat hurt, but I didn't really care at the time that I was in.

"If you know what's best for you, you better get inside someplace before you catch a cold with that wet hair of yours." I instructed as I took the beer bottle out of Sondra's hands and threw it as far away from us as I could. I sure did have one hell of an arm, but in the quiet distance, you could here the sound of the glass breaking.

"Yeah..." Sondra began to fiddle around with her fingertips, still looking a little hurt. "I'm goin' to head to the Curtis' to hang out for awhile."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Well, you better be on your best behavior because Johnnycake is the only one there."

Instantly, Sondra flashed her attention back up at me; her eyes were big and her mouth was slightly hanging open. "What? I thought that he was in school."

"He and Two-Bit played hooky today. After I got out of the cooler this morning and went to the Curtis' place, Johnny ended up asking me to leave not too long after. I have no idea why, but since he's a good kid, I did as he said." I explained. "Hey, do you know where Two-Bit is?"

Sondra hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. "No, why?"

"The damn boy owes me five bucks but he bailed the Curtis' before I could get it. I checked almost all over our territory, but I still can't find him." I went on mumbling every curse word and insult that I can think of, but I stopped when Sondra said: "Did you check Kathy's place? Since Two-Bit is goin' out with her to the movies later on, he probably went there to hide."

"Kathy's place?"

Sondra nodded her head and hummed a, "Mm hm."

Why didn't I think of that? Leave it to Two-Bit to hide at a girl's house. It's worth a shot to go look, and if he's not there, I guess I'll jet on by the movies for my five bucks sometime during Buck's party.

For a moment, I just stared at the now fifteen-year-old tomboy. She sometimes reminded me of Johnny, considering that she used to be abused by alcoholic drug-addicts and she had that exact same look in her eyes that reminded me of a helpless puppy.

When I finally decided to speak again, I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Tuff, I'll check it out."

I wasn't the type of guy to thank anybody unless I was talking to Johnny or Cassidy. "But as for you, you better get to the Curtis' before you get sick."

Sondra continued to just stare at me like Johnny would in a time like that. "...Dally?"

"What?"

"...Thank you for saving me from your sister and the Cobras."

I hesitated for a moment, not knowing exactly what to say in return since I never imagined myself saving someone else from my kid sister. I ended up waiting and keeping my mouth shut until Sondra finally turned away from me and began walking down the sidewalk again. Half of me still didn't know what to say, but before I saw it coming myself, I called out after her: "Happy birthday, Sondra!"

Without any hesitation, Sondra froze in her steps and gazed over her shoulder to see me. A wide smile tugged its way onto her face, and I could've sworn that I saw tears of happiness beginning to glimmer in her eyes.

"Thank you, Dally!" she called back to me, but after that, she turned back around and continued her way down the sidewalk.

As much as I hated to admit it, I could've sworn I felt a small smirk pulling at the edges of my lips as I kept my eyes on Sondra until she was completely out of my sight. After she was, I walked off in the opposite direction so I could see if the Mickey Mouse lover freak was at his girlfriend's place.

* * *

_Sondra's POV_

So Dallas really _did _remember my birthday! I thought that he forgot all about it when he didn't even bother showing atleast one sign that he knew what today was. Man, if the toughest male greaser in all of Tulsa remembered what today was, then I'm positive that the rest of the gang will know it, too!

I must admit that my fifteenth birthday is getting off to a shaky start, considering I was just threatened and ganged up on by the Cobras and Amanda, but what really was eating me was her haunting voice assuring me that I'd better watch out because Johnny should still be hers and all of that. What exactly was she plannin' to do to me?

What about Jesse for that matter? I don't think Dallas knew who he was just by looking at him, but if Dal actually _did _know that his kid sister was dating Bob Sheldon's older brother, God knows how much he'll probably blow up like a stick of dynamite. To be honest, I'm more concerned over what Kitten would do if she found out. I didn't want her to blow a casket, considering that she used to date Jesse and she hated Amanda's guts. That's why I think it's best to just keep Jesse and Amanda to myself, but I know that if I felt like I needed to say somethin' about it, I could go to Johnny. I trusted him completely and I knew that he would keep anything a secret for me.

Speaking of Johnny...why did he ask Dally to leave the Curtis' house when everybody left? Dally's his role model; he worships the ground that he walks on, but yet, he asks him to leave on top of him and Two-Bit playing hooky? Lucky for me, he wouldn't ask his own girlfriend to leave...right?

I walked for maybe another ten minutes before I finally arrived at the Curtis' house where I was greeted with the view of Johnny sitting on the porch steps. He was gazing all around, looking pretty bored, but after his eyes locked on me, a wide smile spread across his face.

"Hey, princess!" Johnny stood up and stretched, right before he trotted down from the Curtis' porch so he could grasp a gentle hold of my shoulders and give me a quick kiss on the cheek. Heavily, I blushed and tucked a piece of my golden hair behind my ear.

"Hi, Johnnycake," I greeted and gave him a kiss on his cheek in return. "What are you doing here? I heard that you were playin' hooky."

For some reason, all Johnny did in response was form that playful smirk of his as he draped one of his arms around my shoulders and held me close to his side. Then he leaned in so his nose could be touching mine, which had me giggling away and his smile growing more.

For a moment, all that he was doing was giving me a continuous Eskimo kiss, but then he decided to give my nose an actual kiss before said: "Happy fifteenth birthday, sweetheart. Your present from me is inside. I sat it up when everyone left."

I guess Johnny must've noticed the excited interest that had sparked up in my eyes after he mentioned a birthday present. I could tell because he was quietly chuckling, continuing to hold me close as he slowly led me up to the Curtis' front lawn, followed by us going up the porch steps together.

"Johnny!" I half-exclaimed/half-whined at his taunting by going so slow, which had his laughter grow more hearable, but he was giving me a phony look that made it seem like he was asking me why I said his name in the tone that I did. Finally, he cut the act and opened up the front door for me, telling me to go in first. I bolted like the devil was after me, excited to the maximum point about what could possibly be waiting for me. Behind me, Johnny came trotting after he softly closed the Curtis' front door behind him.

There, laying in front of the Curtis' coffee table, which had two cans of Coke and two pieces of chocolate cake resting on it, was a warm looking blanket with a couple of pillows from the couch resting at the top.

My hands flew to my now hanging open in a big smile mouth, yelping excitedly as I could've sworn that I was about to cry from feeling so joyful.

"Oh, Johnny!" I sang after I felt him wrap his arms around my waist and place his head on my shoulder from behind. "I love this! This is so romantic!"

"Are you surprised?" Johnny whispered into my ear, his warm breath tickling and making me giggle a little.

"Yes, I'm very surprised!" I eagerly nodded my head before looking directly into his eyes, smiling at him for maybe two seconds before smacking my lips against his for probably five. Still keeping our lips together, I took a gentle hold of Johnny's wrists and unlocked his hands from my waist so I could turn around, but just as I wrapped my arms around Johnny's neck and removed my lips from his so I could kiss his sweet spot, which was his jawline, he stopped me.

"No, no, no," Johnny sounded like he was taunting me again, chuckling with his no's.

Confusedly, I looked at him, but just as I was about to ask him why he suddenly stopped letting me kiss him, one of his arms swooped around my waist, and his other dove underneath my legs.

"Ah! Johnny!" I squeaked as he picked me up from the floor, holding me bridal style until he walked us both over to the blanket and laid me down so one of the pillows would be under my head. Then he sat himself down beside me, but instead of lying down, he placed his hands above my shoulders and leaned down so our lips could meet for a few more seconds. After we parted that time, he rested his head down on the other pillow.

"Happy birthday, Sondra," Johnny happily sighed, keeping his eyes lost in mine as we laid on our sides, grinning at each other. "I was actually plannin' to go to Charlie's place and get you myself, but I figured that this would be more romantic somehow."

"And you were right." I gave him a playful/flirty wink, making his smile grow wider.

After that, he and I took turns telling jokes and exchanging more secrets as we ate our two pieces of chocolate cake and drank down our Cokes. Johnny went on telling me about how it wasn't easy to keep hiding the pieces of chocolate cake for us since Two-Bit and Soda were eager to find some slices to eat, and they actually searched the _entire _house until Darry told them to get over it because they were all out. Even Superman didn't know that Johnny hid the remaining two slices of cake! Just picturing Superman not knowing something like that had me laughing. As for the Cokes, Johnny said that he had to hide 'em from Ponyboy and Cassidy since the Curtis' were all out of Pepsi, and after everyone was gone, he got everything all sat up and waited out front until I showed up.

"Hey, darling?" Johnny said after we finished our pieces of cake and I was on the final drops of my Coke.

I gulped down what I had in my mouth of my drink before saying anything back. "Yeah, Johnnycake?"

Johnny wiped away the remaining crumbs from his lips with his jean jacket's sleeve. "If you don't mind me by asking...how's Iris doing?"

"She's...she's doing well, I guess..." I came so close to choking on my Coke when I heard Iris' name pop up, but I made sure that I didn't so I wouldn't startle Johnny or make him feel bad for asking his question. Just like me and my mini 'gang,' he and the rest of the Curtis' gang were nervous about Iris and her new mind disorder after they found out by the doctor calling the Curtis' residents to inform them too.

"...Is she really?" Johnny hesitated before asking, but it was then my turn to hesitate before I continued to drink my soda and shrugged my shoulders.

"Like I said, I guess so. I mean, she couldn't sleep again last night, so she slept with me for 'bout the fifth time since she got the new disorder." I sighed and laid the now empty can of Coke back on the coffee table. "Johnnycake, I'm very worried about her. She told me last night about her feeling something on top of her head, and then she said somethin' about a talking bunny rabbit promising her that if she was good, she'd get a blue schoolgirl tie. It seems like to me that she's not getting any better at all. Oh, what if she never overcomes this?"

Johnny snaked his arm around my shoulders and gently pressed my head down onto his shoulder, resting it there as he ran his fingers through my hair. "Sondra, at times like this, it's always important to think positive, all right? Don't worry 'bout Iris; I know that she'll be better soon. Like the doctor said, it just takes time for the person to knock the disorder out of their system."

Quietly, I took in a deep breath, blowing it out after a few passing seconds, pretending that I was smoking a cancer stick. I didn't want to be rude and just start smoking in front of Johnny during this special thing he planned for my birthday, and especially in Ponyboy, Soda, and Darry's house. Sure, the other greasers might've smoked in here quite often, but not me. It's not like Darry enjoyed that 'bout the gang either.

"Hey..." Johnny gently touched my cheek and caringly guided my head so our eyes could be locked on each other. He treated me as if I was some teddy bear, squeezing me with love as his precious black eyes dazzled with joy, and he quietly whispered in my face: "Kiss me already."

After hearing him say that, it was as if my sorrow never existed. Caringly, I carried out his request, but instead of kissing him on the lips, I started to trail many different kisses up his jawline. I felt Johnny stiffen under my touch as his arms connected hard around me, and he dreamily closed his eyes as he smiled widely at the feeling of me kissing his sweet spot. Each kiss I planted was longer than the last, and I listened as Johnny softly moaned with delight. Finally, he decided to break through his stiff stage and make a move, planting his lips against mine.

"Oh, wow!" a sudden voice flooded the Curtis' living room, but it didn't belong to me or Johnny. "I guess I should've knocked, huh?"

Without any hesitation, Johnny and I parted from our kissing and snapped our undivided attention over to the main door, which was now being held open by Dallas Winston.

I began to burn up, snatching over my can of Coke and pretending that I was drinking some of it when there was nothing else inside.

"Dally!" whined Johnny, who was beating just as red as me. "I thought you were headin' over to Buck's!"

"I was, but I decided to go find Two-Bit first so I could get the five bucks he owed me." Dally shared as he allowed the door to slam shut behind him like he always did.

"And did you find him?" I asked, breaking through my humiliation the best that I could.

A small smirk curled up on Dally's lips as he pulled out a five dollar bill for Johnnycake and I to see.

"What do you think?" he then snickered before tucking it back away into his worn out jeans pocket. That means that I was right; Two-Bit _was _at Kathy's place.

Dally placed his hands on his hips, fixing his eyes on Johnny again. "Say, Johnny...man, I'm guessin' that this is why you asked me to leave, huh?"

Johnny hesitated, gazing down at his fingertips as he fiddled around with them, trying just as hard as me to tune out Dally's snickers.

"...Dal, you should get to Buck's party before the fuzz breaks it up like what happened at the last one." said the quiet and madly blushing Johnny.

Dally tugged at the bottom of his T-shirt, rolling his eyes at Johnny's words.

"Well, I'd hate to break up a couple's special alone time together where they can kiss and whatnot, but...actually, I couldn't care less 'bout doin' that. Johnnycake, Sondra, you're comin' with me to Buck's party."

Memories from the last greasers only party began to flood into my mind, causing my eyes to go huge. The last thing I needed was something like that turning my fifteenth birthday into nothing but a complete disaster.

"What?!" Johnny gasped with a mixed tone that was full of both fear and shock.

Dally crossed his arms over his chest and nodded his head. "Come on, Johnny. Today is Sondra's fifteenth birthday and we need to do _something _that doesn't involve just sitting around or leaving you two alone, knowin' you're making out like crazy."

Johnny's cheeks began to redden some more all over again. "But one of Buck's parties?! Dal, the parties at his place are far worse than the ones that he hosts at the Dingo!"

There are _worse_ parties than the parties at the Dingo? People danced around like crazy, got rip-roaring drunk, played different games like chicken and the smoke ring challenge, and got high to the point that they didn't remember their own name, and yet, Buck's parties are _worse _than that?

"You're only fifteen once, and you're only sixteen once. You might want to live while we're young before you get to the point in life when you're waving your cane around and yelling at younger kids to get off your lawn." Dally said, pointing one of his pointer fingers at me, and then at Johnny when he said our ages.

Nothing but absolute silence filled the room as Dallas crossed his arms and waited for me or Johnnycake to say something, but all we did was remain quiet and gaze at each other with puppy dog eyes.

"Well?" Dal sooner demanded for an answer after about fifteen seconds of nothing but pure quietness.

Johnny sighed heavily, and then stood up from the floor, giving Dally his rare serious facial expression as he took a moment to stretch.

"Dally, if we come with you, do you promise not to tell anyone else 'bout what you just saw between me and Sondra?" Johnny asked him, and Dally formed another smirk as he rolled his shoulders.

"Sure, I won't tell anyone as long as you both come. Otherwise, I might just have to open my mouth about how you two were bein' all of that disturbing lovey-dovey stuff."

Johnny's seriousness faded from his beating red face completely, and he frowned. After that, he sighed at Dallas. Even I knew that he couldn't go against his role model; the teenager who has saved him from being jumped a whole bunch of times and whatnot.

"...Fine...we'll go with you..."

With satisfaction now dancing in his dark eyes, Dally's smirk grew more as he approvingly nodded his head and said: "Good decision."

"Come on, Sondra." Johnny softly instructed as he offered me his hand, which I gently gripped a hold of, and he pulled me up until I was balanced on my feet.

We headed our way back over towards the door, where Dally was holding it open for us, ordering us without speaking verbally to exit the Curtis' house first. Johnnycake placed his arm around my shoulders and stuck me to his side like glue as we left, Dally following right behind us with the door slamming shut.

* * *

**A/N: Cliffhanger! What's going to happen at Buck's party? The more reviews I get, the faster I'll try updating! ;) *Nudge, nudge*. Please review & stay tuned for chapter 3! Bye! :D**


	3. Drunk Mistake

**A/N: Not much to say here unless it's enjoy chapter 3 and please review! What's going to happen at Buck's party? Let's find out! :D Happy reading!**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_Sondra's POV_

Why did Dally have to do this? I mean, I know that he truly cared about my birthday, whether he admitted it or not, but why did he have to drag Johnny and I to Buck's party? These things get extremely out of hand with all of these drunk and high thirteen-to-twenty-some year olds. Besides, Johnny and I were happy with just kicking back at the Curtis' house together, but now, we were trying our best to ignore all of the filthy language that was getting spat back and forth, all of the grinding and twerking, and not to mention the terrible scents of sweat, smoke, and alcohol that were all mixed together and lingering through the air of Buck's surprisingly huge house. It looked small on the outside, but on the inside, it was almost too gigantic to be true for a greaser.

Johnny and I had no idea what to do, considering all that was going around us were people getting rip-roaring drunk to the point where they were completely green in the face, and smoking so much that it was as if they were getting ready to hack their lungs out. All of the games were ridiculous things like: advanced chicken, which is when somebody burns more than one cigarette on whatever part of the body that they choose; the smoke ring challenge, where you have to smoke as many cigarettes as you can and hold in as much of the smoke as possible without coughing so you could blow the biggest smoke ring; and then there was the make out session game. That's the sickest one in my opinion. In it, you're supposed to see how long a couple can make out without parting for breath or anything, and you do all of this with people staring at you and cheering you on. Hell, Johnny and I saw these two guys taking up the challenge, but they were drunk and rolling around on the floor together. Hey, this is Tulsa; we don't judge people for the gender that they love. The only time others get judged for who they're dating is when you're not together with somebody who is from the same class as you.

The only people who knew about Johnny and I being together were the Curtis' gang, my mini 'gang,' somehow the Cobras and Amanda, Cherry and Mary Valance, Marcia Carington, and Randy Anderson. Ten greasers, nine Regulars; including Iris for ten, four Socs, and an unknown amount of Cobras. Other than that, nobody else in all of Tulsa knew about Johnny and I being a new couple. If anyone else found out, Johnnycake and I won't be able to hear the end of it, I bet. And not in the good and joking around way of not being able to hear the end of it either.

"Johnny, are you feeling alright?" I finally spoke up and said something. Ever since Johnny and I followed Dally into Buck's house, all we've been doing is sitting at a small table together and saying absolutely nothing. For a full hour, that's all we did, but not without continuing to attempt tuning out what all was going on around us. Even Dally was drunk on probably his thirteenth bottle of beer and sitting at his own table, laughing away like a maniac with Tim Shepard, who was smoking a cancer stick and coughing to death as he tried holding in the smoke for some unknown reason.

When Johnny looked at me, I noticed that he was flashing me that puppy dog look of his, batting his precious black eyes that were full of plead and sorrow. "I'm just sort of feeling bad 'bout being here, you dig? I mean, I know Dal wants us to have a fun time today since it is your fifteenth birthday, but he should know that this isn't the kind of 'fun' that we like to do."

Taking in Johnny's words before speaking, I rolled my shoulders and sighed. "Well, it's not your fault, Johnnycake. That's Dal for you; he believes that this kind of stuff is such a blast to be involved in. I know that it's not our type of fun, but what can we do 'bout it? Besides, it's the thought that counts."

"Still," Johnny's desperate puppy pout seemed to only be growing more by the minute. "I wish that I had the courage to stand up to him like I did that night at the movies when we, along with Two-Bit and Ponyboy, met Cherry Valance and her best friend with the black hair, uh...hm, what was her name again? Oh, right! Marcia, that's it."

A tiny grin spread across my face. "Oh, Johnny, don't worry 'bout it. Let's face it, Dally is your idol and you don't want to disrespect your idol after knowin' him for years and looking up to him after everythin' he's done for you."

"But it's different now," Johnny began to sound a little defensive, and I can't help myself from thinking that he's also being somewhat stubborn.

My small smile wiped off from my face, and I confusedly cocked an eyebrow like Two-Bit would do in a time like that. "How? How is it different now?"

"Well, for starters, I'm not that little child that he just met anymore. I'm sixteen, turning seventeen in just a few months, and I'm now acting more like a teenage father than a older brother for Cassidy and Jocelyn." Johnny listed, counting off the things that he was describing on his fingers.

Before he could possibly go on with more words, I opened my mouth and said: "But Dally is still your role model, Johnnycake. You worship the ground that he walks on no matter what and you know that you do."

Johnny just stared at me, giving me that stubborn look of his that said I didn't get it, but when I gave him my expression that told him that he knew that I was right, he sooner cracked. A smile spread across his face as he released a few chuckles, which made my look fall too, and I began to quietly laugh along with him. Sometimes I felt like Johnny was too stubborn for his own good, but at some points, I actually liked that about him. It gave me the chance to help him choose the right decision or break through a problem that he had that got him all emotional. Atleast that had our relationship growing stronger by the minute.

"He may be my idol, but you're my girlfriend now. I have to take chances and make mistakes with Dally here and there, sooner or later." Johnny said as he slid one of his hands to the center of the table. Knowing what he was doing, my grin grew and I placed my hand in front of his until we joined them together, our palms meeting and fingers locking.

Since everybody in here was either drunk, high, or both, it was perfectly all right for Johnny and I to show public affection for a change. Plus, I looked more like a greaser with my black tank-top, my purple; plaid shirt that remained unbuttoned, my dark pair of blue jeans that had holes in the fabric around the knees, and lastly, my pair of worn out dark green tennis shoes, which just happened to be the only pair of tennis shoes that I had. I was even wearing the silver ring with the heart-shaped diamond that Johnny had got me for our friends night out; I still can't believe that was over a month ago.

"Johnnycake, you know I love you no matter what. You don't have to go against Dally at all when you feel torn to do what he says, especially for me." I told him, and I meant every word that I was speaking through my lips, but that didn't stop Johnny from shaking his head.

"Sondra, I'm my own person. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate everythin' that Dal does for me and my kid sisters, and he's still one of my best pals no matter what, but from here on out, I'm goin' to make sure that I have an _actual_ saying whenever he tells me to do something with him."

To be honest, I didn't feel so good about the idea of Johnny saying no to Dally about anything. It worried me because I didn't know how long their friendship would last if Johnny kept saying whatever he wanted to say when Dally told him to go someplace with him or something like that.

"But are you sure that that's such a great idea?" I asked, trying to hide a pout from tugging its way onto my lips, but I was slowly failing. "Johnnycake, I just don't want you to risk getting into any arguments with Dally or anything like that just because you told him what was on your mind or that you wanted to do somethin' else that he didn't want to do."

"Aw, Sondra," Johnny reached his free hand across the table and caressed my cheek, which instantly had me feeling like I was glowing redder than a bulb on a Christmas tree. Johnny then tucked a piece of my golden blonde hair behind me ear as he added the assuring words: "You don't need to worry about anything, okay? It's not like Dally and I never got into an argument before or anything like that. Everybody fights from time to time, but if they're a true friend, you'll find a way to make this work. Dal and I are still real close and we've fought before in the past."

I couldn't help myself to roll my eyes as I leaned my head down on my free hand that was clenched up. "Yeah, but you only seemed to argue sometime over three weeks ago. After he met me. A Regular. And he found out that I was a new friend to the gang."

"Oh, babe," Johnny sighed and shook his head at me, a small smile working its way onto his face. "The past is the past. If you bring the past up, all it's goin' to do is yank down the present, and that's only goin' to make things horrible for your future. Dally might've been a little...unreasonable after he first met you, but that's in the past now. Forget 'bout it, okay? Please? He acts like that to nearly everybody he first meets."

At first, all I did was stare at him, thinking heavily about his lecture as I processed it. I narrowed my eyes at him just for kicks, but I couldn't help myself to grow a new smile and laugh when Johnny decided to pull out his puppy dog face again, but this time was out of trying to get me to forget about the past with Dally and listen to his words.

"Not the puppy dog face!" I giggled, which had my Johnnycake holding back a smirk as he began to batter his puppy dog like eyes and make little whimpering noises. "Oh no!" I gasped with phony fear. "Not the helpless puppy whimpers, too! It's too much for me to handle!"

That's when Johnny finally cracked, fully exposing a wide smile as he chuckled along with me.

I gazed down at my lap, actually having a somewhat difficult time believing that this party wasn't as terrible like I thought it was going to be. If Johnny and I were having a good time talking and laughing together, it'll be like we never even left the Curtis' house. Although, I could maybe use an _alcoholic free_ drink because the dry scent of mainly smoke in here has gotten my throat as dry as the desert over the passed hour.

"So, Sondra, what do you say? Can you forget about the past with Dally for me?" Johnny asked after he used his free hand to touch my chin and gently guide my head to look straight at him again.

Playfully I rolled my eyes and hummed a straight hum, gazing anywhere but directly at my boyfriend just to mess with him. I could tell that he knew that I was only kidding because when I finally stared back into his eyes, he was batting them like that little puppy again.

"Oh, all right...I guess that I can forget the past with Dally and move on for you." I pretended to sigh, acting as if Johnny broke me down with his puppy dog expressions that were honestly too cute to ignore anytime he broke it out.

"That's my girl." Johnny smirked, right before he leaned across the table and gave my cheek a quick kiss. Thank the lord that none of the drunk or high guests noticed it, because if any of them did, I bet they could've been screaming happily and cheering for Johnny and I to make out or something like that.

I swallowed down a giant gulp, trying my best to get rid of the dryness that was resting all over the inside of my throat, but no matter how many times I attempted getting rid of the dryness, it only seemed like it was spreading faster and faster.

_Nobody's POV_

A drink was all that Sondra wanted at that moment, but not just any drink. No, she didn't want tequila, beer, vodka, or any type of drink that had a single drop of alcohol in it. It was too bad that Buck didn't serve any types of soda at his house like he did whenever he was hosting one of his parties at the Dingo, but with any luck, maybe he would have fruit punch or some drink like that with no alcohol in it.

"Hey, Johnnycake, I'm pretty thirsty. Want to go fetch some alcoholic free drinks?" Sondra asked as she pointed one of her thumbs in the direction where two teenage boys were serving others all kinds of different types of drinks from different glass bottles and tin cans.

At first, Johnny seemed to hesitate, staring off at the two boys that looked maybe seventeen or eighteen years of age, handing down random cans and bottles of different drinks to whoever came up to them and asked for a liquid. Not only that, but those two boys certainly looked like they were nothin' but trouble. They had looks of complete boredom detailed all over their faces, and the one boy with the longish blonde hair had all kinds of different tattoos all over what was exposed of his arms, legs, and there were even tattoos covering close to every part of his neck. As for the other boy that had his dark brown hair styled up and drenched in hair grease, he had two nose rings, a lip ring, two eyebrow rings on each eyebrow, and a pair of earrings pierced all in his face and ears.

"Um..." Johnny's eyes were now huge, staring at the blonde and brunette troubled looking boys with almost complete fear until he turned his attention back to Sondra, who didn't seem scared at all. She actually wasn't; it took a lot more than that to terrify her after everything she's been through in her life.

"Johnnycake, all we're going to do is go over to them and ask if they have any alcoholic free drinks. If they don't, then we'll just come back here and sit without anything." Sondra spoke up since Johnny never gave her a direct response yet.

"...I don't know, darling...they look pretty dangerous and this _is _one of Buck's parties..." Johnny embarrassedly scratched at the back of his neck. "I can't imagine any drink here without one single drop of alcohol in it."

"But you don't know unless you try, Johnnycake. It feels like an oven in here and I'm as thirsty as heck, so if you don't want to come with me to ask those two boys if there are any drinks available with no alcohol here, then I guess you can just sit here and wait for me to return." Sondra lectured with a drop dead serious voice, leaving Johnny to stare at her with the same wide eyes that he was giving in the direction of the two serving boys.

It was then Sondra's turn to be stubborn as she narrowed her eyes for real this time, throwing her arms across her chest while doing so. She tried waiting patiently for Johnny to speak up and say something, even if it was the one little word _no_, but when all she got from his was complete silence as he stared down at his lap, Sondra let out a hearable sigh of stubbornness as she stood up from where she was sitting.

Johnny instantly shot his head back up and focused on Sondra again, his eyes now bigger than before. In return, Sondra gave him another few seconds as a chance to say something, but when he didn't, she turned away and mumbled: "Fine...I'll go by myself."

When Sondra began walking away, all Johnny felt like he could hear was the sound of his heart pounding faster and faster. He felt his chest rise and fall as his breathing increased, and ever breath he took in seemed to be longer than the last. It was as if the pounds of his heart were like a hammer against a piece of cloth. With every step Sondra took away from the table all by herself, the fear in Johnny's innocent black eyes piled up more and more. It was as if his father was coming at him with a bottle of tequila in one hand, and a leather belt in the other, but picturing Sondra getting hurt or possibly even raped by some other drunk or high guest terrified Johnny even more.

"Sondra, wait!" Johnny pounced up from his chair and trotted after his girlfriend, who froze in her tracks right away she heard his voice.

After Johnny made it all the way over to Sondra, dodging all of the other guests while he was doing so, Johnny didn't think twice before throwing one of his arms over Sondra's waist and pinning her to his side.

"I changed my mind," Johnny said, looking straight into Sondra's eyes as she did the same to him, noticing the terror that he was then trying to hide. "I could use a drink myself...but you're not taking another single step without me by your side from here on out at this party."

Grasping hard onto Johnny's words, it was as if the stubbornness was knocked clear out of Sondra's system, like it was never there to begin with.

A smile made its way onto Sondra's face, and with such gentle care, she took a hold of Johnny's free hand and squeezed it lightly. She loved seeing the joy that was beginning to sparkle up in his eyes, and the relief spread all over his face as he released a soft sigh, resting his forehead down on top of Sondra's head since she was shorter than him.

Playfully rolling her eyes at Johnny's moves, Sondra chuckled a little before she stood up on her tiptoes for a moment, just to give his nose a fast kiss.

"You're just lucky that you're so cute." Sondra continued to stand on her tiptoes again so she could whisper into Johnny's ear, which left him blushing heavily as he grew his rare; full smile. He knew that he was forgiven.

_Sondra's POV_

"Excuse me," I spoke up with the kindest voice that I could pull off after Johnny and I made it over to the two teenage boys that were busy serving all kinds of different drinks. By the looks of their nametags, the one boy with the piercings was named Bobby, and the other one with the many tattoos went by the name Fang.

When Fang and Bobby locked their eyes on me, Johnny slid his arm up from my waist and draped it around my shoulders.

Fang flipped his blonde hair, blowing his bangs out from dangling in front of one of his teal eyes the best that he could. I could've sworn that I saw a dark blue shade surrounding his other eye that was being hidden behind his bangs after they fell in front of it again, but Fang seemed to just give up and left his bangs hanging there.

"Yes, what can we do for you? Can we offer you a beverage?" Bobby broke the silence that had formed, but the tone of his voice did give it away that he was bored out of his mind. Either that, or he was a little drunk.

Johnnycake and I exchanged our expressions for a few seconds before we turned our attention back on Bobby and Fang, who were waiting for an answer. I knew before starting my way over here that Johnny wasn't so sure about these two servers, but now I understand why. I don't judge others until seeing how they acted towards somebody else, and by the seems of Fang and Bobby, they hated what they were doing and Johnny was actually right. They _did _look pretty troubling.

"Um, we'd actually like two beverages, yes," Johnny approved, but just as Fang gazed over at Bobby, who was getting ready to hand down what I thought were two bottles of beer, I quickly spoke up and said: "By any chance, do you guys have any drinks that don't have any alcohol in it?"

Silence met Johnny and I as Bobby and Fang exchanged their suddenly new looks that were printed on their faces. It looked like to me that Fang was confused, raising an eyebrow and looking as if he was trying to figure something important out. But Bobby, on the other hand, had this smirk curl its way up onto his face as he rested the two bottles of beer back on the tray that was balanced perfectly in his right hand.

"You're in luck, young ones!" Bobby said with sudden cheer in his voice, as if his previous tone that was full of boredom was never there.

Just as he started studying his tray, looking as if he was counting all of the bottles and cans of beer, tequila, and vodka, I gave Johnny a small smirk like grin that was my silent way of telling him that I told him so. In return, Johnny gazed down at the floor and tried his best to keep an embarrassed grin off from his face, which had me quietly giggling to myself.

"Here you two go," Bobby spoke up again, handing me a glass of this red liquid, and then he gave the exact same beverage to Johnnycake. I had no problem with taking mine the exact moment that Bobby offered it to me, but Johnny was still who Johnny Cade was. He was hesitant, taking a moment to study the glass and what the red liquid could be before he steadily took it from Bobby's offering hand.

"What is it?" I asked, giving Bobby a small trustworthy smile.

"I believe that it's some fruit punch. Buck decided to stir the drinks up a little tonight, so he brought fruit punch along with the alcohol." Bobby responded as he grinned right back at me.

I peeked over at Johnny, witnessing him take a small width of the red liquid before he dared to poke his tongue in and test it. After he did so, taking a moment to take in the taste, he looked at me.

"Yep, it's fruit punch." Johnnycake embarrassedly grinned again, giving me three nods while doing so.

In return, I smirked again, but then I gazed back at Bobby and asked: "So there is no alcohol in this, right?"

"What do you think?" Bobby suddenly began to laugh, acting like he was a whole different person. "It's fruit punch, for cryin' out loud, gal!"

I raised an eyebrow, trying my best to hide my new concern towards Bobby and his new attitude. I then shrugged my shoulders at him. "Thanks, I guess. Do you mind if we take two more? It's pretty hot in here."

"Sure, it's no problem at all." Bobby simply shrugged his shoulders before he scanned his tray again, and then handed Johnny and I two more glasses of the fruit punch.

"Thanks!" I continued trying to be polite by grinning again.

"You're welcome." Bobby smiled slimly back at me, but before I knew it, he was smirking with his eyebrow now raised. "You know...you're a very pretty young girl...you look just as sweet as a cupcake, you know?"

After hearing those words come out of Bobby's mouth, I couldn't help myself to start feeling extra concerned as I snuggled up closer to Johnny's side.

"Dude, stop flirting with girls who are too young for you! It's low class!" Fang bellowed at Bobby, just as he gave his arm a gentle; but yet strong enough punch that had Bobby glaring at him.

"We're greasers! How lower can we get?" Bobby asked, shaking off the punch that Fang just gave him.

To help the knot that was beginning to tie up in the pit of my stomach, I began to take a few gulps down from one of my two glasses. The fruit punch tasted great, especially when taking the dryness away from my throat.

When I decided to take a glance over at Johnny, I could tell from the look on his face that he wasn't pleased one bit with what Bobby just said.

"I'm afraid that this pretty, young, sweet, cupcake looking gal is off the market," Johnny sassily informed, staring straight at Bobby. "Now can you please do me a favor and listen to your friend?"

Bobby rolled his eyes, no longer looking like that happy guy anymore, but he was back to looking bored out of his mind. "Oh, relax, kid. I was just playing 'round."

"Well, next time, can you _not _play 'round with my girlfriend?" Johnny asked with the same amount of sass in his voice, but all Bobby did was look at him with that bored facial expression glued back on his face. "Whatever..." Johnny muttered under his breath, right before he took a sip from one of his glass cups of fruit punch. Then he began leading me away from Bobby and Fang, holding me closer than ever before, but not without giving Bobby one final small glare over his shoulder.

_Nobody's POV_

Fang kept his eyes on Sondra and Johnny as they walked away, dodging all of the other wild guests while they were at it, until they finally made it back to their table, where they plopped themselves down in their seats and began to drink more of their fruit punch.

"What in the hell is wrong with you?!" Fang bellowed out, his voice full of fury. His eyes were now icy and cold, shooting off daggers at Bobby, who was now smirking with absolute satisfaction.

"What are you talkin' about? You heard me say to the boy with the black hair that I was only kiddin' 'round with his girl." Bobby snickered at his own act, actually trying to make himself sound believable when telling his serving buddy that he was only pretending to flirt with Sondra. He meant every flirty word that came out of his mouth, and Fang knew that. If they weren't such best friends, Fang swore to himself that he would've been beatin' the living heck of out Bobby.

"That's not what I'm talking about, but that's 'nother thing that's completely wrecked in your head!" hissed Fang, using his free hand to smack himself straight on his forehead, followed by him running it through his hair.

"What's goin' on with you, hombre?" Bobby asked, smirking from ear to ear, acting like he didn't know what Fang was getting at.

Fang placed his free hand that wasn't holding his tray on his hip, and he rolled his eyes. "Um, why did you lie to those teenagers? They said that they wanted _alcoholic free _drinks!"

"So?" questioned Bobby with a simple shrug of his shoulders, as if everything was all peaches in cream. "What's your point?"

"_My point is_ that you know that what you put in the fruit punch is heavy stuff! You lied to them!" Fang snapped.

"Hey, my friend, as far as I'm concerned, the more wasted chicks, the higher chance of me gettin' lucky tonight." chuckled Bobby with a mixture of delight and deviousness shimmering in his eyes.

Fang cursed under his breath, going on and on with every word in the book and every dirty insult that he could think of.

"Whoa, Fang! Watch your language!" Bobby laughed with absolute mock. "Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

Fang's lips pulled back to reveal nearly all of his clenching teeth. "I hate you, you know?"

It was then Bobby's turn to grind his teeth together and narrow his eyes. "Whatever, jackass. You don't know how to have any fun. Just let the master handle this, okay? Now get off of my back!"

* * *

"Okay, okay," the still high as heck Tim Shepard laughed at Dally, who had just finished yet another bottle of beer and belched so loudly that Tim could've sworn that Buck's entire house shook up. "I think that you had enough beer, my friend."

"Aw, really?" Dallas asked with a phony hurt look on his face, but it sooner vanished and he rolled his eyes as he took in a deep breath and puffed it out to blow his bangs out of his face.

Taking a drag of his unknown amount of marijuana, Tim nodded his head.

Another full thirty minutes had passed by, and all Dallas has been doing since he first came into Buck's party was getting drunk, but he didn't seem to care. That's all be basically did at Buck's parties.

"Pfft!" Dally hissed, releasing some smugly laughter as he kicked his legs up onto the table and snatched yet another bottle from somebody's tray when they came walking around their direction.

Tim watched, not daring to stop Dallas as he popped off the cap and took down one giant gulp.

"You're majorly drunk!" Tim laughed like a maniac at Dally's antics, which left the toughest male greaser in all of Tulsa smirking widely after he swallowed down another gulp from his new bottle of alcohol and wiped away the remaining drops from his lips with his tongue at first, and then his leather jacket's sleeve.

"What? You told me not to drink anymore _beer_! This is some _tequila_, my friend!" Dally pointed at his new bottle of tequila before locking his lips around the top of it again and taking down yet another huge slurp.

The eldest Shepard took a moment to laugh again before he took another drag of his marijuana. After that, he began gazing around the huge crowd of other drunk and high guests that were dirty dancing the day away, or they were having a blast with the outrageous games.

"Hey, Dally...I thought you said you...brought Johnny and Sondra with you, man." Tim coughed a few times from accidentally swallowing a drag of his marijuana, and when it did so, some smoke came out of his mouth.

Dally nodded his head. "I did, yes."

"...Where are they then?" Tim questioned, but all Dallas did was rest his head back in his seat and shrug his shoulders.

"They're 'round here somewhere. If they're not, they probably ditched to go back to the Curtis' place. If they did that, I'm goin' to be havin' a little talk with the two of 'em, but as for now..." Dally raised his bottle of tequila into the air before bringing it back up to his lips and takin' down another jug.

Tim hesitated, but then shrugged. "All right, Dal. Whatever you say, bud."

Usually if Dallas wasn't in such a drunk stage, he would be searching Buck's whole house for Sondra and Johnny. He would've flicked out his switchblade and cursed at everybody else to get out of his way if he needed to do anything like that. If a door was locked, he would've bust it straight down in order to see if Johnnycake and/or Sondra were there, but since he was so drunk, it was as if his true concern about where they were didn't exist.

If only that never happened...

_Johnny's POV (drunk)_

Man, I haven't tasted fruit punch that actually packed such a delicious punch in God knows how long! I'm not even sure that I ever had fruit punch that tasted _that _tuff! Somethin' about it must've been different from all of the other fruity drinks in this world! I wish that I knew what it was, but since I don't...who cares?! I still _love _it! Lordy, I must've had atleast sixteen glasses of that red stuff! Hey, wait a minute...sixteen glasses...I'm sixteen years old! How ironic!

This blonde chick, who is named Sondra Prescott, and I ended up bumping into each other after I drank no less than sixteen glasses of the fruit punch, and she must've drank fourteen or so glasses.

I was busy spinnin' all over the place, cheering at the top of my lungs as I leaped from side to side, dancing wildly with all of these other people, but not without throwing in a couple of cartwheels here and there on the side. Thanks to my two friends, Ponypop and Sodaboy, I learned how to cartwheel in no time!

When I was dancing all over the place and screaming gleefully, having no cares at all on my mind, I accidentally spun my way into Sondra, who was drinking yet another glass of that fruit punch. However, when I bumped into her, I made the remains of what was left of the red liquid slip out of its glass cup and splash all over her black tank-top.

"Gah!" Sondra yelped and she quickly turned herself around to see me just looking at her, speechless. Dang, she was one heck of a hot gal.

Sondra's eyes narrowed and shot off angry daggers, and her face was beginning to turn red, but I wasn't scared of her. Besides, she looked even prettier when looking directly at me, even when she was upset.

"Why in the world did you just do that to me?!" Sondra demanded to know, which had me raising my bare hands up to my shoulders.

I then offered her a smirk. "Didn't anybody ever tell you that you're smokin' hot when you're angry?"

Sondra took a moment to hesitate, still holding her glass that was now empty as she stared around from left to right, side to side.

"Um..." she sang before fixing her eyes back on me. "Are you really talkin' to me right now?"

I lowered my arms and stuffed my hands into my jean jackets pockets, allowing my smirk to grow wider so my teeth could be seen.

"Well, I don't see any other cuties like you 'round this place. And it's not like I actually meant to knock your drink all over your shirt there, but since we're actually talkin' again over it, I'm kind of glad that I bumped into you."

At my words, Sondra rolled her eyes, but she couldn't fool me. I could see that small smirk of hers beginning to spread across her face.

"I guess that I can forgive you, but if you ever want to talk to me, don't think that you have to splash any kind of drink on me to get my attention." Sondra said as she tucked a piece of her golden blonde hair behind her ear.

I laughed at her words, feeling the safeness then drifting in the air. So I moved in until I was directly in front of her, and then I connected my arms around her waist.

"I still believe that I should make up for causing you to spill your fruit punch all over yourself, though..." I began to feel my face heating up, as if I was a flame of fire.

"Oh, really?" Sondra looked flattered, in my opinion. She had this flirty glimpse in her eyes, and she was grinning at me a little as she bit down on her bottom lip.

I shyly, but yet confidently smiled back at her and nodded my head.

"What exactly do you have in mind of makin' it up?" Sondra then asked me, standing up on her tiptoes a little.

"Maybe...this?" I smirked widely before moving in and planting my lips against hers. Before I knew it, I heard the sound of breaking glass, and when I quickly removed my lips from Sondra's to stare at the floor, I realized that she dropped her glass. When I glanced back at her though, she was smiling widely, looking just as pink in the face as I felt, and I knew that she was delighted by my apology.

But before I saw it coming, Sondra grasped both sides of my jean jackets collar and pulled me back up to her again so our lips would meet. Again, I wrapped my arms around Sondra's waist, smiling under her lips as she began to run her fingers through my hair. We wouldn't stop making out, running our hands up and down each others backs and sometimes even tickling the others neck. Our parting only lasted for maybe five seconds before we started kissing like mad again.

"Hey, Johnny..." Sondra whispered into my ear after we finally stopped our kissing for maybe the seventh or so time. "...Catch me if you can."

Playfully, she pushed me away from her, and then she took off running like a bolt of lightning. I took no hesitation to laugh and go running after her, making my ways around all of the other people and even jumping over some of the tables and chairs. Though, I was finally able to snatch Sondra off from her feet and twirl her around over my shoulder, making the two of us laugh like crazy after we made it up the wooden staircase...

* * *

_Sondra's POV_

What in the world...why is my head killing me so much? That's all that I could think to myself as my eyes slowly began to open up, but to my surprise, I was no longer sitting at the small, round table with Johnny, where the two of us were chatting over our glasses of fruit punch. That's the last thing I remember doing before...I don't know. Did I black out or something? I must've fainted or something like that...but why? How?

I could still hear the mixed noises of the reckless music and different high and drunk people cheering their heads off, but to startle me even more, I sooner realized that all of the ear-splitting noise was no longer in the same room with me. Instead, it all sounded like it was coming from bellow me.

I panted hard, feeling my heart beating rapidly in my chest as I kept my eyes on the brown ceiling of Buck's house. I knew that I was still at the party, but _where _exactly was I at the party? Wherever I was, I was now lying back on a flat surface, clenching fistfuls of something very warm, and I could've sworn that my hair felt more all over the place than usual. What happened to me? Where was I? Where was Johnnycake at? For maybe another full minute, I kept my eyes looking straight up at the ceiling, but after that, I've had enough of asking myself so many questions and only coming up with nothing to answer all of them with.

So, despise the massive pains that were firing back and forth in my head, I removed my hands from whatever it was that I was clenching and forced myself to sit up. When I looked around the room, I noticed that there was two doors, one of them being closed and locked, and the other being open, revealing a bathroom. There was only one window, but it was covered up with torn up and stained drapes. I could also see a TV, which was resting in front of...

I took in a deep breath of shock, coming so close to yelping, but my breath got caught in my throat and I stiffened completely. I had finally realized that I was in one of Buck's rooms, but not only was I in one of his rooms, but I was completely bare underneath the covers of the bed, which was what the TV was in front of.

No...I couldn't have...I just couldn't have! There is no way in hell that I had _it_! This must be a nightmare! A terrible, horrifying, but very realistic nightmare!

Tears began to weld up in my pale blue eyes as I clenched one of the bed covers tightly and held it in front of me to hide my nakedness. Sniffling, I shook my head and couldn't help myself to allow some whimpers to escape.

"No...no, this can't be real...I must be dreaming...I _have _to be dreaming!" I was scared, coming so close to just losing it and bursting into tears like a waterfall, but when I attempted pinching myself to see if I really was dreaming, all I got was myself releasing a soft: "Ow!"

Again, I tried pinching myself, but I got the same exact response. I wasn't dreaming...

"No!" I quietly howled as I clenched my tearful eyes shut and started feeling the salty tears trace their separate paths down my burning cheeks.

I couldn't believe it...I wanted to wait until I was married before I ever had it, but now...the one thing for a woman to give her true love is out of my hands.

I thought that things couldn't get any worse for me, but I was proven wrong when I felt this feeling in the pit of my stomach that had me feeling like everything inside of me did a summersault. Before I knew it, I leaped out of the bed, continuing to use one of the blanket covers to hide all of my bare skin as I rushed into the bathroom and fell down on my knees, right in front of the toilet. My mouth gaped open as my stomach emptied, and I felt a giant burning sensation scar the inside of my throat due to the hot vomit making its way back up my body.

More and more tears flooded my eyes as I stood back up on my trembling legs flushed the toilet. I needed to grasp a hold of myself for a moment before I was able to slump my way over to the sink, where I turned on some cold water that I could use to splash in my face and rinse my mouth out. However, no matter how many times I washed my face, my tears wouldn't stop forming in my eyes and streaking my face all over again.

After I gargled and washed my mouth out, using one of my bare arms to wipe my pouting lips after I turned the water back off, I couldn't help myself to feel even worse when I laid my eyes on my reflection in the broken mirror.

My face was beating red, covered with streaks of salty tears, and my golden blonde hair was usually left shagged up to begin with since that was just my style, was now all over the place. I sighed, completely ashamed in myself as more tears escaped and fell from my eyes, which were beginning to go red-rimmed.

"I'm so stupid..." I sniffled at my reflection, growing more angry in myself than anything at the moment. I just wanted to scream and curse out at my reflection, but yet at the same time, I didn't. Nonetheless, that didn't stop the anger from making its way onto my face; my watery eyes narrowed and my lips pulled back, exposing my grinding teeth. "You deserve the shame that you're feeling right now! You deserve it big time! What's Charlie-arlie goin' to say if he finds out 'bout this, hm? Or what 'bout the rest of the Curtis' gang, especially..."

Before I could go on and on furiously rambling at myself in the broken mirror, I stopped. I could've sworn I felt my heart leap all the way across the globe, and my tearful eyes shot huge at what I was about to say to myself. Especially...Johnnycake...where _was _Johnny even at?

I gulped down a nervous lump in my throat as I forced myself to stare back out of the bathroom, giving my full attention to the bed that was now a wreck. Somebody else was resting underneath another one of the covers. At first, I rested my back against the side of the door, trembling nervously at who could be the one that I had it with. I knew that I had to find out, so I took in a deep; but very soft breath and released it. After that, I took one small step at a time, tiptoeing out of the bathroom and all the way back over to the bed until I was able to grasp a gentle, but very shaky hold of the other cover. I hesitated for a couple of seconds, preparing myself before I finally yanked the blanket back to reveal just part of the upper body.

I could've sworn that I felt my heart sink, as if it was a rock in water, and my jaw felt like it dropped all the way to the floor.

There, lying on his stomach with his head resting on top of one of his arms and looking in my direction...was Johnny. He looked like he was sleeping peacefully; his eyes were dreamily shut and his hair was an absolute mess, but even though he looked like an angel in his sleep, that didn't erase how stunned I was after putting all of the pieces together. Well...not _all _of the pieces. I still didn't get how Johnny and I ended up doing anything like this when the last thing I remember being how we were just talking over our fruit punch glasses. We must've gotten drunk somehow or something, but what I really didn't understand was how when we didn't take any drugs or alcohol that I'm aware of.

"Oh my god..." I muttered under my breath, completely terrified, nervous, and shocked all in one. What was the Curtis' gang going to think about me now that I ended up in bed with one of their members somehow, especially Dally?! Oh my god, Dallas was going to _kill _me if he found out! I mean, I know that Johnny and I said that we loved each other, and I knew for one heck of a fact that we weren't lying, but I didn't think we'd end up doing something like _this _until we were a married couple in the future!

Suddenly, just as I stared to believe that none of this could get any worse, I saw Johnny's fingers begin to twitch a little, followed by his lips going straight as he released an awakening moan. I grasped the one cover that I still had around me tighter, and I quietly choked on my oxygen as I stiffened, not knowing what to do as I just stood there in Johnny's view...and on the side of his stirring, he slowly opened his eyes.

* * *

**A/N: Cliffhanger! What's goin' to happen next? Please review and stay tuned for chapter 4 to see! :D **

**By the way, just so I can set somethin' about this chapter straight, when Johnny was drunk, Sondra was drunk as well, in case anybody didn't know that. **

**The more reviews I get the faster I'll try updating! ;) *Nudge, nudge***

**Please review and I'll be back with chapter 4 soon! Bye for now! :D :D**


	4. Make A Promise

**A/N: Not much to say here unless it's enjoy chapter 4 and _please_ review! **

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_Johnny's POV_

What the...where in the world am I? Where is everybody? What happened to all of the extremely carefree; drunk and high people, along with the swarming music? Ouch...oh man...why do I feel like I was just bashed over the head with a hammer? God, my stomach...it feels as if its been training from the Olympics by all of the mixed up; sour twists, turns, knots, and leaps that I can picture it's going through right before my eyes due to the painful gap that's roaring inside of me.

I couldn't see anything. My eyes were in aching pain, too sore to open up quickly like they would whenever I heard my mother calling out my name, or my father's heavy boots stomping down the hallway towards mine, Jocelyn, and Cassidy's bedroom. All I could see was blackness, but after beginning to come to more, my system awakening slowly, I began to hear more than my heart heavily rapping in my chest. The faint noises...well, atleast they sort of sounded faint...of the loud music and the many more roaring guests that were at Buck's party began mixing throughout the air. Though, it came to my attention a little slower than I'd imagine after picking it up, that all of the noise was suddenly coming from downstairs.

I was in one of Buck's rooms upstairs? Yep, I must've been, because I began to feel my fingers taking their time to escape their strange numbness and twitch, and my limbs were resting underneath this warm fabric, on top of a smooth and surprisingly soft surface. But I didn't know where Sondra was, and I didn't understand _why _I was actually in one of Buck's rooms all of the sudden. The last thing I remembered...Sondra was going on and on, rambling and laughing about how she_ told_ me that we would find some type of alcoholic free drink to have. I was smiling at her, embarrassed when confessing that she was right, but after that...I don't remember anything else.

My vision was going back and forth from blurry to clear as I tiredly and achingly moaned to myself. My head felt as if it was _splitting _right in half. My eyes were sore, but I forced them to remain open until I could make out the figure that was just standing there at the side of the bed. It couldn't have been Dally; the figure was too short and Dally's hair wasn't _that _long. I began to grow nervous at who could be just standing in the room with me, but after my vision finally stopped going from clear to blurry, I was greeted with the sight of Sondra staring at me with complete fear written all over her face. Her pale blue eyes were red-rimmed and shedding tears like a waterfall, and she had one of the bed's sheets wrapped around her body.

At first, all I did was lay still and continue to moan in spite of my remaining drowsiness and the sickness that was staying where it was in the pit of my belly. I figured that my mind was just messing with me, or I wasn't really awake and I was truly in a dream. My eyes were sore as heck, begging to reclose so I could drift back off.

"J-Johnny?" Sondra stuttered, sounding very nervous and scared all of the sudden.

I knew then that I couldn't have been dreaming; it all felt too real to just be playing in my head.

My eyes, which were now half closed, shot back open, as if I witnessed my father coming at me with his leather belt and a broken bottle of some type of alcohol. The thought of Sondra's sudden appearance flashed back across my mind. She was wearing a _bed sheet _instead of her actual clothes...and she was crying so much that Buck's whole place could be taken down by a flood faster before anybody's eyes.

"Sondra...what..." I began to question in an aching tone what happened, but I shut myself up when I fixed my eyes on my girlfriend again. _Positive_. This _can not_ be a dream.

"...I'm s-so sorry..." Sondra whimpered, wiping away as many tears as she could.

_Sorry_? Why was she saying that she was sorry?

I raised an eyebrow the best that I could, feeling weak and tired after all, and I hung my mouth open to ask why she was apologizing. Though, it wasn't long before I shut myself up to remember the bed sheet that she was tightly clenching around her body. Was she...

My eyes shot huge all over again; I don't think I've ever been so startled before in my entire sixteen years...and that's certainly a record for me. Was Sondra...naked?

"Sondra..." I choked out her name through my shock the best that I could. "_Please_ tell me that you're wearing clothes."

Sondra bit down on her bottom lip, gazing anywhere but at me, completely nervous. "...Y-You have no i-idea how I desperately want to assure you that I d-do...but I can't lie to you, J-Johnnycake..."

I felt as white as a sheet, paling more by the minute as I took a moment to make sure that I caught Sondra's words correctly. After that, I slowly picked my head up from where it was resting on top of one of my arms, fixing my eyes to stare down at my chest. I could've sworn I felt my heart freeze up completely for a couple of seconds after I realized that I was no longer wearing my shirt or jean jacket.

Not saying a word, I slowly fixed my attention back on Sondra, who looked just as sick as I did, and she whimpered like a helpless puppy. A mixture of fear and plead for mercy was pooling up in her red-rimmed, pale blue, salty watered eyes. But I still didn't dare to speak a word, considering I was trying to talk myself out of this being real when I knew for a fact that it actually was.

Burning up with embarrassment, I dared myself to grasp a hold of the blanket that was resting on top of me, and quickly, I took a fast peek underneath. Just like I was afraid of, I wasn't wearing _anything_. That could only mean...Sondra and I had..._no_ _way_...no, we couldn't have..._no_!

"Holy crap!" I gasped at the top of my lungs, startling Sondra to the point that she must've jumped no less than five feet into the air. I was so scared and confused that I ended up rolling off the bed and slamming down onto the hard floor with an echoing _thud_.

"Johnny!" Sondra sniffled, worried. "Are you okay?"

"No!" I took no hesitation to pounce back up onto my feet, but not without using the other blanket to hide all of my bare skin from the waist down. I actually wasn't angry; I was more frightened than anything.

"What in the world happened to us?" I demanded to know, already feeling the salty tears welding up in the edges of my puppy like eyes.

"Johnnycake, I honestly don't know!" pleaded Sondra, giving me that look of hers that she only had on her face whenever she felt like I wouldn't believe something that she considered serious. _This _was without a doubt serious!

I felt as if a huge blade went straight through my heart. I've always been afraid of girls, but after I started dating Sondra, I thought that girls weren't as bad as I thought. Though, I never imagined myself doing something like _this _to _any _girl throughout my entire life! I'll admit that I pictured Sondra and myself being together forever, but we've only dated for three weeks and we somehow gave up our virginities to each other? _This_ just _can't_ be happening!

"What do you mean, you don't know?" I questioned.

"I...I don't know!" Sondra shook her head, sniffling away as more tears escaped from her eyes, each one dripping faster than the last. "The last thing I-I remember is...w-we were just talkin' o-over our glasses o-of fruit punch...but a-after that, I don't r-remember a thing..."

I began to think about what words I could've strung back at her response, but before I could, a sudden thought flashed through my mind. The fruit punch...Buck's party...two trouble looking greasers serving the drinks...oh my god...

To my surprise, instead of feeling my jaw drop to the floor and eyes grow like you see in a cartoon due to shock, I felt my teeth tightly clench together, and my black eyes narrowed. I could've sworn that my blood was growing to the point where it was not only hot, but it was boiling over to a whole new level. I bet even my face was glowing redder than what Tim Shepard's did when Dallas got mad 'bout how I got beat up so badly and even got my scar from that one Soc with the rings that Dally ended up slashin' Tim's tires. I was actually _furious_; it took _a lot _to make me mad, especially to the point where I was at then.

Sondra's tearful eyes were huge, swarming with fear at my new facial expression.

"You are such a worthless piece of crap! The fruit punch was spiked!" I practically screamed with absolute fury.

Sondra's mouth fell open at what I said and what tone I said it in, but I went on hollering, calling her every word in the book and not giving her a single chance to speak up herself.

I remember all kinds of different stories that Dally used to share with me, Pony, and sometimes Two-Bit and Kitten. Whenever he told us about Buck's recent parties that he got rip-roarin' drunk at or he got lucky with a girl or two, he wouldn't ever dare to leave out how many times Buck has attempted bringing plain water, milk, or juice for his alcoholic free guests, but of course, whoever would be serving the drinks wouldn't stop to think about drugging any of 'em that didn't already have alcohol in them. Dally didn't describe what kind of drugs that others put in the alcoholic free drinks, considering that he didn't know, but what he _did _know and describe was that some of the drugs were more heavy than others. Whatever Sondra and I drank down with the fruit punch, it must've been one heck of a powerful drug.

"...Johnnycake, please..." sniffled Sondra after I took a moment to pause and catch my breath from yelling so much. I _never _screamed out of anger. Only fear.

"No, you listen here and you listen good!" I bellowed, cutting her off. "I told you that Buck's parties never had one alcoholic free drink available, but what did you do? You went on ahead and allowed us both to get drunk on whatever it was that we drank down with that so-called 'alcoholic free' fruit punch!"

Sondra glanced down at the floor and clenched the blanket tighter around her, causing her knuckles to start paling. "Please stop it, Johnny..." she squeaked, but my temper that I got from my old man wasn't finished just yet.

"Sondra, don't you get it? We probably made complete idiots out of ourselves since you never know jack 'bout what you're doin' when and after you got all drunk or high! I have a pretty good idea what happened to us here, but what 'bout before this, hm? And where did all of that lead us again? We ain't virgins anymore!" I lectured loudly, but before I saw it coming with my own eyes, it was Sondra's turn to shock me.

She flashed her attention back up at me, her lips now peeled back to reveal her suddenly grinding teeth, and her eyes were now narrowed, but I could tell that they were swimming with much more sorrow and pain than any anger. It was as if her new look completely startled me to the point where it knocked my anger clear out of my system.

I choked on my oxygen, shakily bringing it in as I got a hold of myself. Ashamed, I felt like crawling up in a ball and bawling my eyes out to myself. Did I...did I really just say all of that complete trash to my own girlfriend? I mean, I know that I was angry...but I couldn't help it. My old man got into my head, and he treated my mother with that attitude all the time.

It wasn't Sondra's fault that we got drunk...it was those two servers, Bobby and Fang. And it's not like Sondra knew what it was like to drink something without considering if it was spiked since she's never been to such a reckless party like one of Buck's before.

I could feel my eyes beginning to sting as more tears began to form, and I grasped another shaky breath as I allowed them to start falling and trailing their ways down my cheeks.

"Oh my god...Sondra..." I choked out my words the best that I could. The uncomforting anger began to vanish from her face, along with the pain that was in her eyes, and she began to look as if she was surprisingly going soft. However, the sorrow wouldn't leave her alone. I knew what she was feeling because I was feeling it, too.

Was I turning into my father? No...I couldn't have been...but...is it a possibility? Darry always tells Soda and Ponyboy that nothin' is impossible...can me turnin' into my father be one of 'em?

I was going to open my mouth and go on apologizing a countless amount of times, but before I could get a single word out, my stomach felt like it had just got done doing more acrobatics. Before I knew it, one of my hands flew over my mouth and I was racing into the bathroom, runnin' as if a million Socs were coming after me. I collapsed to the tile floor, resting on my knees as vomit flooded out of my mouth and splashed into the toilet. The burning sensation that scarred my throat and trickled out of my lips only had me blubbering even harder like the sensitive bawl baby that I was.

"Oh, Johnnycake...my sweet, sweet Johnnycake..." To my surprise, Sondra's voice was actually very soothing, and I could feel one of her hands rubbing my back as I kept throwing up all of the drugs into the toilet. As for her other hand, she used it to push my bangs up and hold them out of my face.

"Why are you..." I held back and tried swallowing the returning vomit, but it wasn't long before I coughed up more. "Helping me?"

"What do you expect me to do? You're my boyfriend." reminded Sondra as she went on tracing random shapes and whatnot around on my bare back.

I rolled my eyes to myself, finally being able to catch a deep breath after my stomach finally decided that it was empty enough.

"Some boyfriend I am...you might as well break up with me after the terrible way I screamed at you..." I sighed, just as Sondra stood back on so she could flush the toilet. Then she headed over to the sink and twisted the faucets around so water could come out.

"Johnny, don't say that, you hear? I don't even want you to _think _of anythin' like that, okay? I'm not breakin' up with you, so don't tell me that I should!" Sondra's voice was suddenly louder and firm, which had me feeling like I leaped in the air from it startling me, thanks to my pretty lame reflexes when it came to outbursts.

I didn't know what to say from being so stunned, so I only stared at my surprisingly still girlfriend with wide eyes and a pout tugging at the corners of my lips. I didn't want to risk harming her verbally anymore, and the last thing I need is to snap again somehow and risk hurting her physically. I loved Sondra, but my old man certainly loved my mother before they had me, Cassidy, and Jocelyn I bet. Why did Sondra still want to be my girlfriend if I yelled at her like that? I mean, I know that this was my first and hopefully last time blowing up in her face, but I still said things that were nothin' but piles of bull crap.

A short pause formed between Sondra and I, and I continued to silently watch her as she wetted a small piece of cloth in the sink. After she did that, she turned the water back off and got back down beside me.

"Johnnycake, I'm not mad at you." Sondra sincerely spoke as she used the wetted cloth to gently wipe my face.

My black eyes went wide all over again, and I gasped out with a stunned tone, "You're not? You should be, you know?"

Sondra shook her head. "Well, I'm not. Besides, everything you said was true, so why should I dare get myself furious at you when all you did was state facts?"

"What are you talkin' about? I didn't mean anything that came out of my mouth! I was just angry!" I was beginning to slightly panic on the inside. Did I really hurt Sondra to the point where she thought that everything I said was true? That wasn't the real me talking! That was my pathetic attitude that snapped!

Again, Sondra shook her head, allowing a frown to swipe across her face. "No, no...if it wasn't for me suggesting that we should've gotten a drink or two, we wouldn't have gotten drunk and did God knows what until we..." Sondra began to beat red, looking both ashamed and humiliated as she choked out the final words to what she wanted to say, "Well...you know..."

"Yeah, I know," I was just as embarrassed and ashamed in myself as she was. You could tell by how red my face was beginning to turn, even with the cold water that drenched the cloth touching my face.

"You have the right to be angry at me, Johnnycake. I should've listened to you when you said that this _is _one of Buck's parties and there aren't any alcoholic free drinks being served." Sondra said, but it was then my turn to shake my head.

"Sondra, I'm not mad anymore. I don't know why I snapped like that, but what I do know is that I may as well be the biggest jerk in the whole world for sayin' all of that trash to you. What happened between us wasn't your fault..." I sighed as I stood up from the tile floor and leaned against the sink, gazing at my reflection in the broken mirror. "It's _my _fault...I should've considered how Dal used to tell me, Ponyboy, and sometimes Kitten and Two-Bit different stories 'bout how often alcoholic free drinks got spiked here."

Silence filled the small bathroom again, and I kept my eyes on my reflection, watching my tears slowly drip down my red cheeks as I wiped some of them away. I waited patiently to see if Sondra would say anything back to me. Soon enough, I saw her reflection in the mirror too, standing behind me with one of her hands gently squeezing one of my bare shoulders.

"Like Two-Bit would say, it takes two to tango, Johnnycake." Sondra whispered into my ear, shooting her best Two-Bit like voice the best that she could just to fool around. Atleast that had a small smile spreading across my face, along with a few chuckles escaping from my lips. So it was both of our faults? Regretfully, my soft laughter died away and my tiny grin faded quickly after I remembered how I was no longer a virgin, and neither was Sondra. She must've been thinking the same exact thing, because she was now pouting away with that plead for mercy sparkling in her eyes again.

"What's the gang goin' to say 'bout this?" she squeaked as she placed her right hand on her left shoulder, and her other on her right hip. "Especially Dally? Man, I know that he's not going to hesitate to beat the life out of me..."

At the mention of Dal's name, my eyes grew huge all over again. I never thought 'bout how he would handle it...I never even thought about how Ponyboy would look at me after this. What 'bout Kitten? Two-Bit? And Soda? Are they all going to hate me? I mean, I know Sodapop slept with Sandy that time that she was cheating on him, and Dallas is somebody who usually doesn't care about who is a virgin and who isn't. Nonetheless, I had a pretty good idea about how he'd act if he found out that I gave up my virginity to my Regular girlfriend because we were both actually drunk.

"Well, the gang doesn't have to say anything, especially Dally." I softly spoke up.

"What are you talking about?" Sondra confusedly questioned.

I nervously gazed down at my folded hands, beginning to fiddle around with my fingernails. I honestly couldn't believe what I was about to say, but I had no other idea about what to do or how to help Sondra remain calm.

"...We just don't have to tell 'em about this..." I tried to make myself sound calm so my words wouldn't startle Sondra, but my tone didn't make her any less surprised.

I sucked at lying...never once in my whole sixteen years have I ever got away with telling one lie, because I stunk at it so much that you could tell by my wandering eyes, stuttering, or unsure tone. Dally was the best one at picking up lies, too, as if he even needed you to act at all. He was like a human lie detector.

"Johnnycake, you know that we can't lie to them," Sondra shook her head, regretful. "They're our friends, remember? And what 'bout my mini 'gang?' Since half of them are getting ready to go to college soon, how can I lie to them?"

At Sondra's words, my pout grew. I remember how she told me after the trail was confirmed that Jason was already moving back to his old home in New York, and he'd be leaving soon after the court. Not only that, but the rest of her mini 'gang' have returned to school and began getting some tuff grades. Their lives for college were approaching, some faster than others, but...what other choice did Sondra and I have?

"Well, would you rather tell them that we got drunk and had..._it _together?" I embarrassedly turned red and scratched the back of my neck at the mention of what Sondra and I did.

Sondra's eyes spread wider, and her face turned just as red as mine all over again. Eagerly, she shook her head.

"Then you can see that we have no other options to choose from," I shrugged my shoulders, frowning. "Doll, I know that you hate lying as much as the next guy, especially to our own friends of all people, but we can't give up that we lost our virginities because we were drunk or high or something."

"But what's goin' to happen if they find out? It only takes one of the guys to know before they accidentally let it slip sooner or later." Sondra pointed out, and as much as I wanted to object and defend my own belief, I knew that it was a fact.

I shook my head, picturing what it would be like if Dally was in my place. What would he do?

"Sweetheart, as long as we don't allow our nervousness to get the best of us, then we got nothin' to worry about."

"So..." Sondra bit down on her bottom lip and started looking anywhere but at me. "Are you saying that we're going to just let this go and act like it never happened?"

I felt as if I was beating redder by the minute, trying my best to hide my shame and humiliation.

"Not exactly...as much as I wish that we could do that, it's pretty much impossible. Look at what happened to us; we got drunk or high and we ended up having it. We did it, but it's over, and we can't take anything back."

Sondra's puppy like pout was only spreading more across her face, and she crossed her arms over her chest as she gazed down at the tile floor.

"Johnnycake, you don't have to paint me a picture," she told me in a sighing tone. "...Why did this have to happen to us? I mean, Dally hated me with all his heart when he first met me, nobody in all of Tulsa believes that it's right to just date somebody from a different class, and just as you and I began hittin' things off like pure gold in these fast three weeks, we ended up doin' something crazy like this..."

"The punch was spiked," I squeaked, keeping my voice absolutely gentle when cutting her off. "And believe me, this is going to be just as hard on me as it will be for you. Maybe we should just break down the days until we make any other decisions."

Sondra confusedly raised an eyebrow and fixed her eyes back on me again.

"What do you mean by any other decisions?" she questioned.

I hesitated, taking a real good look in her eyes before shrugging.

"You know, maybe we actually _can _break the news to the gang, but not today or tomorrow. We can wait for the trial to be over or somethin' like that, and if you want, we can tell the gang one member at a time, or we can explain it all together." I suggested.

"Johnny," Sondra merely grinned, her eyes then full of shock. "Unless you want Dallas to crush every bone in my body into dust, I don't think that telling the gang is such a great idea."

"Darling, don't be ridiculous," I stated, rolling my eyes at the mention of Dally. Though, I must admit that I was growing afraid about how he actually would take the news about Sondra and I accidentally getting things too hot and heavy. Dal was scary.

"I won't allow Dally to lay a singer hurtful finger on you. Besides, after everything you and Iris have been through in the past with your parents, I don't think that Dallas would have the courage that he usually always has to start a fight." I informed.

Sondra sighed and shook her head. "Johnnycake, you know how hard Dally's temper is. Let's face it, if we dared to speak a word about this to him, he'll blow a world-sized casket."

God, I needed a cigarette. I wonder if my old man had a familiar chat like the one that Sondra and I were having with my mother when they ended up having me, followed by Cassidy, and then finishing their days without birth control and protection with Jocelyn.

"Sondra, I don't think we can simply just tell the rest of the gang and just expect Dally to not know what's going on. He would find out pretty fast, considerin' that's somethin' he's just very good at. Getting every bit of news in Tulsa is just a gift of his or something like that." I pointed out.

"I know, Johnnycake..." Sondra softly said.

I took a moment to pause, waiting to see if she had anything else to say. Nothing but silence met between the two of us for about ten seconds, so I decided to break it.

"I don't want to tell you what to do, because a good and healthy relationship involves creating solutions when there are disagreements. I want to tell the gang at some point, but you don't. Don't get me wrong, that's completely understandable..." I began to lecture my girlfriend in the kindest and softest voice as I could speak in, but Sondra cut me off with just as much innocence.

"I never said that I didn't want to tell the gang, Johnnycake..." she said. "...I'm just afraid of how they'll react, especially Dally, of course. And what 'bout Charlie?"

At the mention of Charlie, I allowed my shame to swipe across my face, and I pouted. Plead for mercy flooded my black eyes.

"I ain't saying that this is a easy situation to go through because it certainly isn't, but every situation turns around at some point. How is this one going to turn out? I have no idea, I'll admit that, but what I _do _have an idea 'bout is the fact that you and I can get through this."

"But what if this situation turns out to end horribly?" Sondra asked worriedly.

I took a moment to take in a soft breath and release it, right before I rested one of my arms around her shoulders.

"Everythin' is going to be all right, princess. All we need to do is not allow our nervousness to get the best of us. Like I said, we can tell the gang maybe after the court, and that sounds like a reasonable amount of time to take this in and calm down." I soothingly whispered every word into my girlfriend's ear, keeping my own nervousness out of my voice the best that I could. After that, I brushed her bangs away from dangling in front of her face and gave her forehead a kiss. God, she was one of those main people who meant the whole universe to me.

"...I don't know 'bout after the trail since we don't know for sure if Charlie is going to get custody of me and Iris. The last thing we need is bringing this up after getting turned down by the court, but I'll think 'bout it. If Charlie _does _get custody..." Sondra paused and shrugged. "Then I guess that we can wait another day or two before ruining such good news with such a huge secret like this."

"The gang will understand that we didn't mean to do it, sugar." I assured, and I knew for a fact that they would. Well...except Dally, maybe. Sure, they would all be shocked, but they wouldn't treat Sondra and I any different from how they treat us now, I bet.

"...I said that I'll think about it, Johnny." Sondra said, and I understandingly nodded, trying my best to hide my sorrow from the thought of her being too upset to even look at me after what happened between the two of us. I couldn't live with the picture of Sondra being uncomfortable in my mind, especially because of me. I know that going through something that we did or something close to it would scar others for God knows how long, but Sondra didn't actually hate me now or was ashamed of me in any way...right?

I began to grow uncomfortable myself, but my uncomfortable feelings were coming from the new silence that had met me and Sondra again. Not knowing exactly what to say, I blurted out, "I'm so sorry that your fifteenth birthday turned into a complete disaster."

To my surprise, Sondra gave me a look that exposed how surprised she then was.

"Johnnycake, my fifteenth birthday isn't over yet, and trust me, it's nothing close to a complete disaster. If anything, believe it or not, this is actually the best birthday I've ever had...well, until we drank the spiked punch and...yeah..."

My eyes were now wide. "So...you don't hate me?"

Eagerly, Sondra took no hesitation to shake her head. "Of course I don't hate you, Johnnycake. Where would you get a whacky thought like that? I love you."

"...And I love you." I shyly formed a grin, feeling absolute relief overfill my body as Sondra through her arms around my neck and held herself close to me. Though, our hug grew very short when we both remembered that all we were wearing were bed covers, so we quickly parted, both of our faces beating red as we clenched the sheets around our bare skin like our lives depended on it.

"Um...I've had enough of this party," I spoke, hiding my embarrassment the best that I could. "How 'bout you and I get our clothes back on, fix our hair and the bed, and then go get Dal so we can get the heck back to the Curtis' place?"

"You don't have to ask me twice, Johnnycake." Sondra offered me a small smile, as if she was thanking me for my words, and she stepped up on her tiptoes just to plant a short kiss against my nose. She wasn't fooling me though. I knew that she still hated how we had to hide everything from the gang; for now, that is. I hated it just as much, but I meant it when I told her that we could pull through this together. I just hope that nothing gets in our way from keeping this a secret...

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**A/N: Cliffhanger! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll try to update! ;)**

**Will Sondra and/or Johnny be able to keep what just happened a secret?**

**What will the rest of the gang do for Sondra's fifteenth birthday?**

**What is Amanda planning to do in order to get Sondra back for 'stealing' Johnny?**

**Will Charlie get custody of Sondra and Iris?**

**Will Iris beat this new disorder of hers?**

**Find out all of these questions, including a whole lot more, coming soon to the new chapters! Please review and stay tuned for chapter 5! :D :D :D :D**


	5. Birthday Surprises

**A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed the previous chapter! I'm having a great time writing this sequel for all of you to enjoy just as much as you all did with the first! Please favorite, follow, and review! You won't regret it with the large amount of tricks that I have up my sleeve for this story! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and again, please favorite, follow, and review! Now onward with the story! :D :P **

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**Chapter 5**

_Darry's POV_

Where in the world were Johnny and Sondra already? And what about Dally for that matter? Lord, I hope that he didn't manage to get his rear end thrown back into the slammer just after he got released for slashing some Soc's tires this morning. Knowing Dallas, he must've been out robbing some alcohol or jumping some little kids, or he was possibly caught by the fuzz doing something else illegal. I swear, Dally must've been tossed into the cooler over one-hundred times just this month, all over different types of crimes that I didn't want to know about. To be honest, I don't care at all about any trouble that he gets himself into, because if there is one thing I know for sure, it was that Dallas Winston could look out for himself. As long as he doesn't horribly influence Pony and Soda, or the Cade's and Sondra and Iris for that matter, I'm happy.

I got home about thirty minutes ago, ignoring the pain that was digging deeply into my spine and shoulders from carrying too many bundles of roofing at a time the best that I could. When I entered through the front door, I was instantly greeted with the view of Ponyboy sitting on the couch, reading a kiddie book to Jocelyn. As for Pepsi-Cola, he was busy having a blast with an arm wrestling match with Steve at the coffee table. Cassidy was watching, smiling widely and giggling at Soda and Steve's strange outbursts and teasing insults that they were playfully throwing back and forth at each other. Kitten, on the other hand, was arranging Sondra's presents that we all chipped in to get on the fireplace, and since Two-Bit's date with Kathy wasn't until later on tonight, there he was, having his eyes glued on the dancing and singing mouse that was on TV and drinking a bottle of beer.

Since today was Sondra's first ever birthday with us, Charlie told me that he was going to take over my shift at the site on top of his own so the whole gang could be together to celebrate. I attempted telling Charlie that I couldn't allow him to do so much work, but all he did was smirk at me and say that he would not take no for an answer. That Regular knew how to set things the way he wanted 'em to be.

After I took a hot shower for maybe fifteen-to-twenty minutes, I started to whip up one of my mom's old famous recipes to celebrate Sondra's birthday. A double chocolate fudge cake that was covered with creamy icing, and a hint of mint applied in the center. That was my mother's signature to her tasty desserts...and to even make Sodapop proud, I was going to add food coloring to make the white icing all kinds of different colors.

Getting all of the ingredients together and mixing it up probably took ten-to-fifteen minutes, and after I was finally able to poor the batter into the cake pan and slide it into the oven, I kicked back against the counter and released a deep breath that was full of both relief and slight exhaustion. Since Sondra, Johnny, and Dally still never showed up, I began to grow concerned.

"Hey, Pony!" I called out, my eyes narrowed with suspicion.

At first, all I got in response was the noises of Pepsi-Cola and Steve still firing back friendly taunts at each other, along with Mickey Mouse's high-pitched voice singing on the TV. I crossed my arms over my chest and waited, rolling my eyes. God, that kid can't even take his nose out of a kiddie book. I probably waited ten seconds before I heard Kitten's voice telling Ponyboy that I called out for him.

"Yeah, Darry?" I then heard my youngest kid brother's voice. Again, I rolled my eyes.

"Come here for a moment!"

I heard the sound of footsteps instantly standing up on the carpet floor in the living room, followed by Pony politely telling Kitten to keep reading to Jocelyn so she wouldn't start crying out of nowhere. Then I saw Pony, who decided to have a lazy day with Soda after they both got home from school and work, even though they knew that today was Sondra's fifteenth birthday. That didn't stop them from wearing baggy sweatpants or worn out muscle shirts, but I didn't bother to tell them to drop their lazy day. I knew that Ponyboy would only complain, and Sodapop would back him up and tell me to just let them have fun for this lazy day that they've been planning 'for so long' when they've only planned to do it the night before. I just pretended that they weren't having a lazy day.

"What is it, Darry?" Pony asked me, his head tilted like a confused puppy.

"Do you know where Johnny, Sondra, and Dally are?" I questioned.

Without any hesitation, Ponyboy shook his head. "No, I don't. All I know is that Dally must be out getting in trouble with the law yet again, and since Johnnycake played hooky today, he must've headed out so he could be with Sondra or somethin' like that."

"Do you have any idea where any of them could've went? It's been awhile and they'd usually be here by now." I said.

Again, Pony shook his head. "If Dal got in trouble with the fuzz again, he's either back in the cooler or hiding out at the Shepard's house. Who knows, maybe he and Sylvia got back together and he took her somewhere. As for Johnnycake and Sondra, I have no clue where they could be."

Just thinking about how Johnny and Sondra were such a tuff couple made me start to think about how Ponyboy and Kitten started going out not long after the night of their formal. My baby brother was growing up; it seems just like yesterday he was in diapers, but now he's fourteen and he has his first ever girlfriend...and neither Soda or I gave him 'the talk' yet. I _got_ to tell Pepsi-Cola to make time for that.

"...Pony, aren't you supposed to be working on a project for your science class with some partner or something?" I asked, changing the subject. The last thing I needed was to worry Ponyboy and then the rest of the gang about where Sondra, Johnny, and Dally were and if they were okay.

"Yeah, I invited her over. She should be here any moment, and I assure you that after you and the others see her, you'll instantly know who she is." shared Ponyboy.

I raised an eyebrow, digesting my youngest kid brother's words about some girl, and I studied him from his heavily greased; almost red hair, to his bare feet.

"A girl from your science class is comin' over...and you're wearing that?" I asked.

A smirk that reminded me a lot of Soda and our father swiped across Ponyboy's face.

"It's a lazy day for me and Soda, Darry."

Hearing the actual words about the lazy day had me rolling my eyes yet again.

"Do you know who this girl actually is, Pone? Or are you just in the same science class as her?" I asked with both interest and concern mixed in my voice. I better be careful though. The last thing Ponyboy and I need is Kitten overhearing us talking about some other girl and have her getting the wrong idea.

"I know her, Darry. Johnnycake, Two-Bit, and I all know her, and I think Sondra knows who she is, too. She's actually very nice and sassy when she needs to be, but we never talk to each other in school often." explained Pony.

I took a moment to think about every word that just came out of Ponyboy's mouth, scratching my chin a little and nodding my head a few soft times. I had no idea about who he was referring to, but apparently, I guess that I would after she arrived.

"All right, she sounds reasonable to me," I approved. "Just remember that it's your and Soda's job to do the dishes after everybody has a slice of Sondra's birthday cake later on."

"Aw," a pout instantly flashed across my youngest kid brother's face. "But, Darry..."

"No buts!" I tried my best to sound stern, but my small grin that was tugging at the edges of my lips was giving me away. Pony must've noticed, because I could see that he was attempting to keep that childish frown plastered on his face, but he was miserably failing.

Suddenly, there was a couple of knocks coming from the front door, followed by Two-Bit calling out loud enough for the whole neighborhood to here: "Somebody is at the door! Better answer it!"

My small grin took no hesitation to fade, and I couldn't help myself to roll my eyes at Two-Bit's outburst. Though, Ponyboy's smile remained straight on his face.

"Oh, that's probably her," he said to my face, but then turned away so he could leave the kitchen and answer the door.

I took a small peek into the oven, instantly being hit with the delicious aroma of the baking chocolate cake, but before I could study how it looked for more than five seconds, I heard Soda's voice calling out for me from the living room.

"Uh, Darry...some brunette is here to see us!"

Confusedly, I raised an eyebrow and scratched my chin. Ponyboy didn't speak of any girl with brunette hair, so I knew that this couldn't have been the girl that he was supposed to be working on his science project with.

I took no hesitation to close the oven again and jog over to the arch doorway, where I froze in my tracks after my eyes met the girl that Soda was talking about. She was standing there at open doorway, smiling widely with her long brunette hair, which had some lime green highlights applied in, pulled back in a ponytail. Her eyes were shimmering green, almost like Ponyboy's, and they were glowing off what felt like everlasting life to me, just like Soda's. Her skin was just like Johnny's, but just a little bit lighter, and by the way she was dressed in an ordinary pair of faded jeans, yellow tennis shoes, and a white T-shirt that said "I Love NY," I could tell that she was a Regular.

"Hi, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." She began to talk in this New York like voice, which reminded me a lot of Dally.

"No, you're fine. Is there somethin' that you need?" I asked, staying where I was, leaning in the arch doorway with my arms now crossed over my chest.

"Actually, I was wonderin' if Sondra was here," the brunette's smile grew at the mention of Sondra.

Instantly, my eyes went wide with suspicion, just as the rest of the gang began to gaze around at each other with just as much concern written all over their faces.

"Um...Sondra actually isn't here at the moment, but she should get here any minute now. Same goes for two of our other friends." Ponyboy spoke up to break the somewhat awkward silence.

"Oh..." the brunette girl wiped her grin off from her face, but after maybe three seconds, it returned. "Would you guys mind if I just waited 'round for her to show up?"

Again, everybody took their time to glance around at each others faces, just as I ran my hands through my hair with the heavy question of who this girl was weighing down on me.

"...Sure," I finally said. "Come in and take a seat. We're all actually waitin' up for Sondra and our other two friends."

"God, you all have no idea how nervous I was when walkin' up your front porch," shared the brunette as she entered the house and took a seat down on the other side of the couch, a little away from Two-Bit, Kitten, and Jocelyn.

"Why's that?" Soda questioned, getting up and closing the door since it didn't close behind the brunette girl for some reason.

"Well, I didn't know if this was the right address by heart. It's been awhile since Sondra and I last wrote to each other, and when she told me 'bout this house and this new gang of greasers that she friended, I didn't completely recall the address." the brunette explained as she fiddled around with her heavy yellow painted nails.

Kitten suddenly took in a deep breath for everyone to hear, but instead of saying anything, all she did was blow her bangs out of her face.

Ponyboy locked his eyes on me, the room now only being full of the noises coming from the TV with Mickey Mouse. Quietly, Pony mouthed the words to me: "Should we be concerned?"

In return, I hesitated a little before shrugging. Though, I must admit that I should've asked the brunette then and there how she knew Sondra and who she was.

"Oh, I _love_ Mickey Mouse!" the brunette girl suddenly said with absolute cheer in her voice, which instantly made a huge smile swipe across Two-Bit's face. Of course. I rolled my eyes and quietly mumbled on about how that didn't surprise me.

I noticed that Steve rolled his eyes too, but just as he finished whispering something to Pepsi-Cola, Soda ended up giving him a hard nudge in the ribs. Whatever he said must've been not kind at all. Again, doesn't surprise me.

"How big of a fan are you, girly?" Two-Bit playfully winked at the brunette, which had her giggling a little to herself.

"A _huge _one! I've been watchin' Mickey Mouse since I was three!" the brunette girl shared.

Two-Bit's eyes narrowed, jokingly. He then snickered. "You're an all right girl in my book, emerald eyes. You beat me by a year," Two-Bit stopped to take a drink of beer, swallowing what he took in before going on. "Say, how old are you?"

"I'm eighteen, but I'll be turnin' nineteen in August." replied the brunette.

"I'm eighteen too, but when I was sixteen, I had been eighteen for two extra years." Two-Bit shared, and I knew that that wasn't a joke. Everybody in the gang knew that he wasn't kidding around there, but that didn't stop them from playfully rolling their eyes or exposing small grins.

"Two-Bit, stop trying to poison the rest of the youth of Tulsa, would you?" I asked, but all that Two-Bit did was shrug his shoulders at me and smirk before he took down another gulp of beer.

"Don't worry 'bout it," the brunette assured as she offered me a pretty grin. "If you must know, I'm used to being 'poisoned.' I may not seem like it, but I've been arrested quite a bit back in New York."

"What?" I asked, thinking that I must've misheard her, but she actually nodded her head at my startled question. "How could such a gal like you get into any trouble with the law?"

A smirk peeled across the brunette's face, and she slowly stood back up from the couch. Her eyes wouldn't remove from me, but I didn't show any emotion in return.

"What are you saying? Are you sayin' that you don't believe me?" She challenged, snickering.

I hesitated a moment, hiding my own smirk from my face as I shrugged. That's when nothing but quietness filled the room, but it ended about ten-to-fifteen seconds later when the brunette girl gripped the bottom of her shirt and began tugging it up. Without any hesitation, I quickly clenched my eyes shut and protested, just as the rest of the gang did the same.

"Oh, relax," the brunette girl hissed, mockingly. "I just wanted to show you proof."

I slowly reopened my eyes, only to be greeted with the view of how red Ponyboy's ears now were. Soda's face was just as red, and Steve and Two-Bit were peeking through their fingers. Kitten wouldn't remove her hands from blocking Cassidy and Jocelyn's eyes, and I felt a startled jolt run up my spine after I fixed my eyes on the brunette girl's flat stomach. There was this long, red, nasty looking scar from bellow her bellybutton, to all the way down to meet her right hip.

I honestly wanted to gag, but I didn't. I've seen worse in rumbles and when the gang and I found Johnny all beat up that one night, but this scar...I just didn't know how to explain it.

"Golly..." Steve softly gasped, surprised.

"How did you get that?" questioned Kitten, who was still blocking Cassidy and Jocelyn's eyes so they wouldn't be able to see such a disturbing injury.

The brunette girl shrugged her shoulders, still smirking. "My ex and I got into this argument one night at this pub back in New York. I ended up gettin' into a fight that was more physical with him, and that's when he pulled out a blade. The fuzz got there with enough time to spare before I bled to death from this awful slash that he scarred me with."

"Were you arrested?" Pony questioned as the brunette pulled her shirt back down. That's when Kitten finally removed her hands from resting over Jocelyn and Cassidy's eyes.

The brunette girl rolled her eyes, but she continued to grin. "What do you think? Of course I got arrested! It's New York! After I got all healed up in the hospital, the fuzz took me away to serve a few weeks in jail for fighting. As for my ex, he never spoke to me again, and he had to stay in the hospital longer than me since I got him good before he yanked out his switchblade and the cops showed up."

"...By any chance, do you know Dallas Winston?" I scratched my chin.

Surprisingly, the smile instantly washed away from the brunette's face, and confusion detailed all over it as she raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know him, but I've heard of him. He's the New Yorker who has a police record over a mile long, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Pepsi-Cola asked.

Not surprising me, the brunette girl smiled yet again, and she laughed out: "Well, believe it or not, my police record is probably five times longer than his! I've been arrested for bar fights, cursing at the cops, littering, smoking in places where you're not allowed, 'borrowing' things without asking, and even hotwiring different cars and takin' 'em for a spin one by one! I swear, the fuzz has a cell reserved just for me whenever I get hauled in!"

This girl seemed awfully cheery for some criminal like Dallas, but that didn't stop my blood from feeling as if it froze over right on the spot. How could such an innocent looking girl be full of so much sneakiness? Although, she _was _a New Yorker, just like Dally...

"Lordly, how in the world couldn't you have met Dallas Christopher Winston after goin' through all of that in New York?" Two-Bit blurted out, surprised and for some reason happy, too.

"Don't know. I guess that since I'm more trouble, we go to different jails or somethin' like that. But the difference between me and other badass New Yorkers is that I can actually control my rebelling ways and keep them inside until needed." shared the brunette, who was smirking widely with proudness gleaming in her eyes.

I was beginning to question even harder about how such a rebelling girl like this brunette would know who Sondra Prescott, a kind and caring Regular in Tulsa, was.

"...Um..." I bit down on my thumbnail for a moment or two, listening to my heart beat rapidly in my chest for a bit before I went on. "How exactly do you and Sondra know each other?"

"Oh," the brunette said. "I take that Sondra never brought me up, huh?"

I hesitated, studying her from her yellow tennis shoes, to the top of her ponytail. I think the gang and I would know her if Sondra told us about some somewhat rebel from New York.

"I don't think so." I then shook my head.

The brunette girl placed her hands on her hips. "Well, I'm sorry that I forgot to introduce myself, but now that it's come to my attention, my name is..."

Everybody didn't move a muscle, paying absolute attention to the brunette girl so we could catch her name, but before she could finish, the door flew open. The brunette shut her mouth, and everyone fixed their eyes over towards the front door. It was only a matter of seconds before relief met the room, because here came Johnny and Sondra, standing side by side with Dally walking behind them. He looked pretty sick, rubbing his temples and muttering every word in the book under his breath. Wherever he was, he must've gotten drunk again.

The brunette girl's eyes lit up with joy after they met Sondra.

"Sondra!" She cheered out and held her arms out wide, as if she was waiting for a hug.

Without any hesitation, Sondra snapped her attention back on the brunette. Sondra's eyes were now wide, and her mouth fell open to form an 'O' shape.

"Kendra?" Sondra gasped, sounding both surprised and joyful, and it wasn't long before the brunette girl rushed over to her and threw her arms around her.

Kendra? Who was Kendra? I don't remember Sondra speakin' about any Kendra, and I could tell by the concern that was detailed over the rest of the gang's faces that they had no clue who Kendra was either. I took a moment to stare at Dally, who rolled his eyes in response of this Kendra hugging Sondra. I then fixed my eyes on Johnny, who for some reason caused this strange feeling to form inside of me, and he shrugged his shoulders at my look before gazing down at the floor.

"Would you care to explain who this girl is, Sondra?" Cassidy asked after this Kendra and Sondra released each other from their hug.

Still grinning a little, Sondra raised an eyebrow. "What are you guys talkin' about? I told you 'bout her a lot!"

"Um, I don't recall any Kendra, Sonny." shared Steve, and I nodded with agreement.

Sondra looked at all of us, absolutely confused, but after a couple of silent seconds, she exclaimed out: "Oh, that's right! I never told you guys that her actual name is Kendra!"

"...Who in the hell is Kendra?" Dally blustered, obviously not in the mood to play any guessing games.

"My cousin Kenny!" Sondra took no hesitation to answer after Dallas' outburst.

As if it was a flash of lightning, everybody grew startled. My eyes, along with Dally's and Ponyboy's were now huge, and Two-Bit had ended up choking on his next slurp of beer from being taken off guard. As for Cassidy and Kitten, they exchanged their facial expressions; and lasty, Pepsi-Cola, Steve, and Johnny's mouths seemed to drop down to the floor.

"You mean..._this _is the cousin that you told us about?" Kitten asked, gesturing towards the widely grinning brunette.

"Yep," Sondra nodded, smiling a tiny bit herself. For some reason, that strange feeling I got from looking at Johnny seemed to feel as if it was only expanding after I locked my eyes on Sondra.

"But...she's a girl!" Steve blurted out, obviously surprised.

Kendra placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks for noticing."

"Can't blame me!" Steve flew his hands up to his shoulders in a defensive manner. "Kenny _is _a boys' name!"

Again, Kendra rolled her eyes. "Well, it just so happens to be my nickname since I hate bein' referred to as my real name."

"Join the club, emerald eyes," Two-Bit suddenly chuckled, as if he was never surprised.

Kendra crossed her arms over her chest and smirked a little. "Let me guess...you're Two-Bit Mathews, right? The wisecracker of this greasers gang that Sondra friended?"

Two-Bit snickered and nodded his head, but not without giving Sondra a little playful wink that had her grinning again.

"That's me, all right," Two-Bit pretended to take off an invisible hat and bow a little before placing it back on his head.

Just like she did a bit earlier, Kitten took in a deep breath and blew out her bangs from her face. "...And I'm Kathryn, but _nobody ever _calls me that. I prefer Kitten, Kitty, Kit-Cat, or Kitty-Cat. But if _anyone ever _calls me Kathryn or Kathy, they'll be waking up very confused underwater."

Understandingly, Kendra nodded her head a single time, right before she glanced over at Sondra again and said: "I came here during my vacation from college so I could surprise you. Happy fifteenth birthday, cousin."

"You remembered!" Sondra happily sang, this feeling of surprise now being held in her eyes.

"We all remembered, Sondra! How couldn't we?" I asked, now smiling my rare grin as I gestured over to the fireplace where all of the presents were at. "Happy fifteenth birthday!"

"Happy birthday to you! You live in a zoo! You look like a monkey!" Two-Bit began to childishly sing, choking back his laughter the best that he could, but before he could finish singing, he was swatted in the face with a pillow by Ponyboy.

"And Two-Bit acts like one, too!" chuckled Pony, which had him receiving a punch in the arm and a smack with the same pillow by Two-Bit, and getting his hair playfully ruffled up by a giggling Sodapop.

I could've sworn tears of happiness were beginning to prickle up in the edges of Sondra's pale blue eyes. Sometimes she reminded me a whole lot of mine, Ponyboy, and Soda's mother. It was as if she had the exact same smile and hair and laugh...you name it.

"Well, what are you waitin' for, birthday girl?" Kitten asked, smirking at Sondra. "Let's have you dive into those gifts!"

"But you guys really didn't have to..." Sondra began talking, but she instantly stopped when I shook my head.

"Save yourself the crappy lecture, Sondra. We _wanted _to do this for you." informed the madly grinning Soda.

"But...don't you guys need your money for the bills and grocery shopping and whatnot?" Sondra began to look guilty, so I knew that we had to snap her out of it before she became upset on her birthday.

"You don't need to worry 'bout that, Sondra," I said. "I recently got a raise and Soda's working extra shifts with Steve at the DX. You don't need to worry 'bout anything like that. Today is _your _day, so let's have a blast and watch you open your presents."

_Sondra's POV_

I honestly couldn't believe it...I mean, not only did Johnny and I go to one of Buck's parties with Dally, get drunk, and give away our virginities to each other, but now I had my cousin visiting from New York and the gang actually chipped in to get me these gifts for my birthday. Today was certainly one heck of a day, but there were still hours to go before midnight struck to announce tomorrow.

I honestly still felt pretty guilty on the inside about how the Curtis' spent their money on me when they needed it more on other stuff, but Darry told me to not allow it to effect my birthday. He assured me that everything was fine, but for some reason, I couldn't believe him. Maybe that was because I still couldn't stop thinkin' about how Johnny and I ripped off the chain at Buck's party and now not only did I have to keep it a secret from the rest of the gang, but I had to hide it from my own cousin.

Johnnycake sat next to me on the floor, having one to his arms wresting around my shoulders and giving my cheek a few kisses here and there as everybody watched me rip off the wrapping paper and toss it all around, gift after gift. Well, except for Darry and Dally, I mean. Darry said that he had some more work to get done in the kitchen, and Dally headed off to the garage for some reason.

I ended up getting so much:

1) A new switchblade and a stuffed toy horse from Soda.

2) A pair of Mickey Mouse pajamas and the Mickey Mouse series on DVD from Two-Bit.

3) A pair of cowgirl boots and a matching cowgirl hat from Kitten.

4) _Gone With The Wind _and a couple of poems from Ponyboy, one of them being _Natures First Green is Gold_.

5) One of those heart necklaces from Johnnycake, him wearing one part of the heart while I wore the other.

6) Some hair grease, a medium-sized SUV toy car, and some new pairs of tennis shoes in all kinds of different colors and patterns from Steve.

7) Some new pairs of jeans and new shirts from Darry, most of them having Elvis on their fabric.

8) A new jean jacket and leather jacket from Cassidy.

By the time that I finished opening up all of the gifts, I couldn't help myself to cry from being so happy. I've never been so joyful in God knows how long, considering Gabriel was gone from my life and this was my first birthday without my mini 'gang' being able to celebrate it all together. Plus, I had Johnny as my new boyfriend and the Curtis' gang by my side, along with my cousin, too.

"How did you like your gifts, doll?" Johnnycake asked, offering me that sweet smile of his.

"I loved them!" I sniffled with absolute happiness as I wiped away my joyful tears from my face and eyes. "You guys are just the best!"

"We know, we know," Two-Bit playfully teased, and not long after he said that, he cheered out: "Group hug!"

Steve rolled his eyes and attempted sliding away, because I knew that he wasn't the hugging type, but Soda grabbed him by his wrist and yanked him over to me. Everyone locked their arms around each other and squeezed, which had me crying some more, just a little bit though. Though, Kenny stayed out of the group hug since she just met everyone and she still didn't give me my gift because she honestly forgot to get me one. I didn't mind; I loved my cousin. She felt like another sister to me, but I honestly didn't adore that pig that she called her so-called boyfriend. I hope that she ditched him by now, but if she didn't...god, I feel so sorry for her then.

"Hey, everybody!" Darry suddenly announced from the kitchen. "Dal says that he wants us all out in the garage so he can give Sondra his gift!"

At the mention of Dally actually getting me something, my eyes shot huge. Dallas Christopher Winston? The roughest male greaser in all of Tulsa? Getting somebody a present? I can only imagine him doin' that for Johnny, Cassidy, and Jocelyn! I have a pretty difficult time picturin' such a hard and tough greaser like Dallas Winston getting me, a Regular, a gift!

Without any hesitation, everybody pounced back up onto their feet and bashed out of the living room, except for Kenny, who playfully rolled her eyes at the sight and casually followed like it was no big deal.

_Nobody's POV_

Dally casually leaned against the cold wall of the Curtis' surprisingly organized, but very old and dusty garage. He was trying his best to ignore the massive pains that were stabbing him in the head over and over again after he got drunk like that at Buck's party, but he wouldn't stop cursing under his breath. All he remembered from Buck's party was drinking and smoking it up with Tim Shepard, right before everything seemed fuzzy to him.

"Oh my god!" Sondra gasped after she and the rest of the Curtis' gang packed into the garage. As much as Dallas hated to admit it, he was trying to hide a small smirk from spreading across his face after he saw the joy sparkle in Sondra's eyes after she noticed his gift. An extremely tuff, cherry red, brand-new looking motorcycle.

As if it was no big deal, Dallas shrugged his shoulders. "I was bored and decided to go gambling one day. Tim Shepard lost a bet, and he had to help me get this. I have no use for it, so it's yours now."

"Dang, Dal!" Johnny proclaimed, both startled and happy at the same time. "I never imagined you'd go this far for somebody's birthday!"

Again, Dally shrugged. "Well, don't get used to the thought. This was a once in a lifetime thing."

Before Dallas saw it coming, he was attacked by a giant hug. He gazed down to see Sondra grasping him, tears of joy trickling down her face as she repeated many thank you's into his shirt. Though, Dally was the number one member from the gang who wasn't the hugging type, so he didn't hug back. All he did was roll his eyes like he didn't care, and he scanned the rest of the gang to notice how they were now exchanging small smirks and smiles, while giving him a few teasing winks here and there.

"...You can do this for two more seconds," Dally warned Sondra, who still had him wrapped up in a huge hug. "And consider this a once in a lifetime thing, too, Sonny."

"One...two..." Sondra slowly counted to herself before she removed her arms from Dally and leaped back, taking in his blank expression before glancing back at the motorcycle. "How'd you know that I wanted my own set of wheels?"

Dally hesitated and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't, but I remember when I was younger, I always loved motorcycles. Though, I'm more into actual cars at my age now. So, I have no use for the damn thing."

"That's very nice of you..." Kenny spoke up with a soft smile on her face, but it wasn't long at all before Dally narrowed his eyes and shot her a glare.

"I'm never nice," He snarled like a junkyard dog, but that didn't stop Kenny from smiling. She could tell by his attitude that he must've been thee Dallas Winston that the gang was previously chatting about.

"It's nice to meet you too, Dallas Winston!" laughed Kenny.

At the sound of her laughter, Dally acted careless and rolled his eyes again, but he was truly hiding a small grin as he muttered: "Whatever, wiseass."

"All right, everyone! The cake is done!" announced Darry, who was now standing in the doorway of the garage, which entered the kitchen.

"Cake?" Sondra's eyes lit up and she turned around to see Darry's smile as he nodded his head. This day was just getting better and better!

"Just for you, Sonny! Come on in and have a slice everybody! But remember to use an actual plate! _Two-Bit_..." Darry began to warn.

"I know, I know!" Two-Bit sighed in an over dramatic tone, and everyone flooded back into the kitchen to watch Darry light the fifteen different colored candles on the delicious looking cake.

After everybody sang the happy birthday song and got themselves a slice of cake, along with some Pepsi; Coke; or milk, everything seemed perfect. Sondra couldn't stop laughing along with Ponyboy, Cassidy, Kitten, and Johnny when Soda swiped up some of the rainbow icing from his slice of cake and made it look as if he had a mustache. Two-Bit, on the other hand, was dared to smash his head deep into his piece of cake, and of course being the wisecracker that he was, he did just that. Darry then ended up lecturing everyone that if they made a mess, they were cleaning it up, even if that meant staying in the kitchen all night. Just to act like nothing was going on, Johnny and Sondra fed some of their chunks of their slices of cake to each other, which had Kitten and Pony doing the same a little after. Dallas and Kenny kept looking at each other, Kenny being the one to grin at him while all Dally did was roll his eyes and go on eating his slice of cake.

Suddenly, just as Sondra finished eating her piece of cake, it felt as if a bomb just went off in the pit of her stomach. Without any hesitation, Sondra's eyes went wide, and she quickly placed her hand in front of her mouth.

"Are you alright, Sondra?" Kenny questioned with absolute concern now exposed all over her face. Everyone instantly shut themselves up and locked their eyes on the now fifteen-year-old tomboy, who was trying her best to force an assuring smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine...I just need to use the restroom..." Sondra could've sworn she was about to explode from holding the returning food back. "I'll be right back!"

Without waiting for anybody to respond, Sondra bolted as fast as she could go, rushing into the Curtis' downstairs bathroom and closing the door behind her. After that, she locked it and turned on the water in the sink, right before she finally fell down onto her knees and emptied her stomach all over again.

Why was she still sick? Johnny wasn't sick anymore from Buck's party and he drank more of the spiked punch than what she did. Sondra held her hair back and continued vomiting, trying to think about why she was still feeling ill. It couldn't have been from Buck's party...but if it wasn't from the alcohol...why was she still sick to her stomach like crazy?

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**A/N: Cliffhanger!**

**The more reviews I get, the faster I'll try updating! ;D ;) Please review! :D :D :) :)**

**Why is Sondra still sick?**

**Did Kenny really get that scar from a fight with her ex?**

**What does Sondra have against Kenny's ex-boyfriend?**

**What is Amanda planning to do to Sondra since she 'stole' Johnny?**

**Will Iris beat this new disorder of hers?**

**Will Charlie get custody of Sondra and Iris?**

**Find out all of these questions, including _much_ more, in the upcoming chapters! Please review and I'll see you all in the next update! Please follow, favorite, and review! Thanks, everybody! :D :D :D :D**


	6. Really Mother Nature?

**A/N: Thanks again to those who reviewed my last chapter! I must warn you, this chapter will have such a _giant _cliffhanger! Anyway, thank you everyone for reading the last chapter, and thanks to those who also favorited and followed. Please review, follow, and favorite! Thanks so much, everyone!**

**And also, I know that one of Two-Bit's gifts to Sondra, the Mickey Mouse series on DVD, didn't exist back then, but just for the heads up, I'll be mentioning some other things that most likely didn't exist back then. Plus, I even made the Curtis' house have two floors. And to be honest, I ran out of ideas for what Two-Bit could've got somebody like Sondra at her age. I should've settled with just the Mickey Mouse pajamas. :) XD :P **

**Either way, now that that's out, enjoy the next chapter! :D :)**

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_Sondra's POV_

A full week has passed since my surprise birthday party at the Curtis' house. The guilt about mine and Johnny's secret was swarming around inside of me, begging to be released by telling somebody. How was Johnny doing a better job at acting as if nothing was wrong than how I was? Was it possible that it was because of my abusive past with by alcoholic dad and drug-addict mother? Or was it because the phony holiday that I called "Brother's Day" when Iris and I celebrated Gabriel was just around the corner? I have no clue, and I might never have any clue as to why I'm so much more jumpy. One moment I'm nervous, and then I'm calming my self down just by noticing how Charlie is in the same room as me, or I just simply sat down. My emotions have been a wreck ever since the second day that passed since Johnny and I ended up getting drunk and having it at Buck's party.

Since Kendra didn't have an official home here in Tulsa anymore, Dally ended up taking her to Buck's and saying that he didn't care if he shared his room with her, and not to mention that if she didn't, she could maybe find a box in one of the alleyways to sleep in, just a little across the road. That's Dallas Winston for you; him and his dry humor can seriously aggravate certain people quickly, but one of those people aren't Kenny. She was actually thankful, telling Dally that she'd appreciate it if he allowed her to stay with him at Buck's. In return, Dally rolled his eyes and grumbled something under his breath that I didn't quite catch, but I knew that it must've been something not pleasant. Though, that didn't stop Kenny from smiling at him, and she followed him out of the Curtis' front door after the party came to an end a little around 9:15 P.M.

Two-Bit sooner left himself, saying that his date with Kathy wasn't that far away now, and Steve said that he had a late shift to attend at the DX. The Cade's and Kitten ended up staying the night though, Kitten sleeping in the recliner while the Cade's had the couch to themselves. I would've stayed if I could, but I knew that Charlie wouldn't want me to stay in some area that was in greaser territory very late, and it was already close to 9:30 by the time I headed out the door. By the time I got back to Charlie's, he was half asleep in his robe and pajamas, sitting on the staircase and staring at the front door with Iris sleeping beside him, her head on his lap. I got one heck of a lecture that night before going to bed, but atleast Charlie decided to let it go since he had a long and hard day at the site.

I, however, couldn't get much sleep at all, all through the week. I kept on waking up every two or so hours, moaning to myself as I clenched my roaring stomach. I haven't felt such stabbing cramps in possibly my entire life as a teenage girl. Boys had no idea how lucky they were; no periods, no giving birth, no worrying about shaving...you name it, the boys don't have to worry about it. Girls had it rough.

* * *

Today was probably the second best October day that Tulsa has seen, but I honestly felt like crap. I must've only got through three of the seven nights with complete sleep, but as for the other four nights, I kept waking up to major cramps, or I had to vomit. I never knew that drinking alcohol and getting drunk would cause somebody to get so sick, especially for over a long week. I'm not even sure that Two-Bit or Dally suffered this much throw up or headaches, and Johnny seemed absolutely fine, even though that he was drowning in just as guilt as me, I'm sure.

I laid there under the cozy and warm covers of my bed, clenching them to the point where my knuckles were starting to grow pale. No matter how much I was trying to ignore my new splitting headache, I couldn't help myself to groan at the sunlight shining through my window. Last night was one of the four nights where I woke up to both cramps, and I threw up three times, one around midnight, the next about two-thirty, and the last one took place at four-fifteen or something like that.

"Good morning, Sondra," Charlie greeted as I entered the kitchen, dragging my feet across the floor and trying my best to take my mind off of my splitting headache. How in the world could morning come so fast? To me, it feels like I just attempted closing my eyes and getting some sleep a couple of minutes ago. To hell with Mother Nature...

"Mornin', Charlie," I tried my best to grin atleast a little, but all I got was a weak smirk for about three or so seconds.

I joined Iris at the table, kicking back in my chair in one of my new pairs of jeans and the baggy black T-shirt that had Elvis' face on it in the center from Darry. I didn't know if the spiked punch was still in my system or what, but I was starting to grow more tired, I was still throwing up here and there, and...

Suddenly, my eyes went wide at the delicious smell of freshly flipped pancakes and homemade chocolate muffins. A big smile then swiped across my face as Charlie rested a plate in front of me, there being three medium-sized pancakes that were bathed in maple syrup, and a chocolate muffin on the side of my dish, along with a glass of chocolate milk. _And _I was also starting to get an increase in my appetite.

At my huge grin, Charlie chuckled and playfully ruffled up my hair, right before he placed Iris' plate down in front of his chair so he could help feed her like he always did. Then he headed back over to the fridge to fetch some orange juice for himself.

Without waiting, I dove right in and started chomping, chewing on different pieces of my pancakes at one moment, and then switching over to my chocolate muffin.

Iris slowly turned her head in my direction, not blinking a single time as her grayish, silver like eyes seemed to glow in the morning sunlight as it shined through the windows and the backdoor that led out onto the back porch. I could tell that she must've been wondering why I was eating as if I was lost in the desert for God knows how long with no food or drinks, but when she didn't say anything, I didn't either. Besides, I really couldn't. I was too busy filling up my empty like tummy.

As Charlie slowly approached the table again, now holding his plate in one hand and glass cup of orange juice in the other, his eyes grew at the sight of me. I don't think I've ever ate so fast before in my whole life, but I was craving. Another stupid curse from Mother Nature...

"Dang, Sondra!" laughed Charlie, now smiling widely as he sat down inbetween me and Iris at the table.

I stopped, completely frozen as I looked back up and fixed my eyes on Charlie, who seemed to only want to laugh even more at the scene of my lips covered with the sticky syrup, and not to mention that my cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk.

"...What?" I asked, making sure I was blocking my mouth with one of my hands before speaking.

"You can slow down, you know? I'm not allowing you to play hooky today just so you can eat yourself sick, especially during breakfast. We still have lunch and dinner to go, and I believe that you have a list of chores to do while Iris is at Rebecca's, and when I'm off to the grocery store." Charlie lectured, but his smile vanished and absolute confusion appeared all over his face at the mention of him going shopping. "For some reason, I can't seem to find any cookies or chips."

...I _did _say that I was starting to crave more food. Sometimes I came downstairs when I couldn't get some sleep in the middle of the night or very early in the morning only so I could snack on a couple of Oreos and whatnot. It wasn't long before they returned though.

I could feel my face beginning to grow hot, and I swallowed what all was packed in my mouth before I stopped to realize how I already finished one whole pancake, and half of the second one. My chocolate muffin was half eaten too, crumbs resting a little on the sides of my mouth, and my chocolate milk was almost gone.

"I'm sorry, Charlie-arlie. I can't help it; I'm just really hungry." I softly spoke as I picked up my napkin and wiped away the syrup and crumbs from my lips.

"I understand that, but I think that you should know that it's very important to catch your breath and breathe instead of packin' food into your mouth like you haven't eaten in years." Charlie went on lecturing me, as if I was a five-year-old instead of a new fifteen-year-old.

Keeping a pout away from my face, I nodded my head and watched as Charlie gently stabbed a piece of Iris' pancake and led it up to her lips. At first, Iris took a small width before she opened her mouth and allowed the small piece of her pancake to be popped in. Atleast that brought a small grin to my face, but it didn't last long.

I could feel my stomach starting to gurgle all over again, and I knew what that meant. As my eyes grew wide, I pushed my plate away and quickly stood up from my chair. Without any hesitation, Charlie turned his head and locked his full attention on me, his eyes now just as round and full of a massive amount of concern. I suddenly wasn't hungry anymore.

"Can I be excused?" I asked, hoping to God on the inside that Charlie would say yes.

"How come, Sonny?"

"I, um...I need to use the restroom..."

Charlie's concern only seemed to be expanding, and he quickly stood up from his seat. Iris' eyes followed his footsteps that tapped against the wooden floor as he made his way over to me, so we could look at each other face-to-face.

"Again? Sondra, you asked to be excused from breakfast, lunch, and dinner for these passed couple of days to go to the bathroom. Are you sure that you're not comin' down with the flu or anything?" Charlie asked. In response, I eagerly shook my head, but that didn't stop him from brushing my bangs out from dangling in front of my face and feeling my forehead.

"Charlie-arlie, I'm fine!" I jumped back, beginning to feel this huge cramp coming on right in the direct pit of my stomach. Not only that, but I could already feel the hotness of my returning breakfast making its way back up my body. I don't see how I could feel any worse.

"What's going on with you, Sonny? I mean it!" Charlie began to give me his drop-dead serious tone, but I didn't care at the timing that I was in. I just didn't want him to see me throw up.

"Nothin' is goin' on with me! I just need to use the bathroom! Can't anybody have atleast a _tiny bit _of privacy in this household?"

Instead of waiting for some kind of response from Charlie, I bolted straight out of the kitchen, bashing as fast as my legs could go. I could hear Charlie calling out my name as I continued to dash my way up the stairs, but I wouldn't say anything back or head back downstairs. Instead, I ran at what felt like the speed of lightning to me, slamming my door shut behind me and locking it before I entered my bathroom and did the same. Now I could see why Johnnycake said that I should go out for track; I actually wanted to.

The vomit made my throat feel like a burning flame of fire from the pits of the underworld, but I continued choking on it and holding it in until I finally turned on the water in the sink and made my way to the toilet. That's when I collapsed down onto my knees, held my hair back, and I released my delicious breakfast that actually wasn't so good on its second trip. God, my head was starting to feel as if I was bashed with a hammer all over again, and it felt like to me that the entire world was spinning right before my eyes. Why couldn't have Dally taken Johnnycake and I to the movies for my birthday or atleast some area that wouldn't have caused us to get drunk and especially have it?

After I finished emptying my stomach yet again and I flushed the toilet, right before I washed my face and cleaned my mouth out in the sink, I started to think about what day of the month it was. It wasn't just a week after my fifteenth birthday and the day that my virginity was taken away, but it just so happened to be the day when Mother Nature was apparently supposed to leave me my little gift. Like I said, boys have it _way _too easy compared to all of the suffering that girls have to go through.

Though, that would explain why I had been feeling so sick to my stomach. All of the cramps, mixed emotions, cravings, getting tired much faster...yeah, that's pretty much all signs of a girl's monthly friend. At the thought, I growled to myself and went on with every word in the book that I could think of, but when I opened up the small cabinets that were connected underneath the sink, all I could find were different towels, shampoos, small packages of bars of soap, and even a little rubber ducky. That was Iris'. No girl stuff though. Dang it! It looks like Charlie-arlie forgot...again.

Again, I grumbled and rolled my eyes, but left my bathroom and headed back downstairs to only find Charlie standing there at the bottom of the staircase. His eyes were huge and swarming with both anger and seriousness, and he had his back resting against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, too.

I heavily sighed as I trotted down the stairs, but I stopped in my tracks when I reached the last step so I could look at Charlie right in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, okay?" I said a bit too sassy, and I could tell by the redness that was beginning to spread across Charlie-arlie's cheeks that he wasn't pleased.

"What in the world is goin' on with you? Just last week, you were all positive and joyful to be around, but now you seem to be all over the place. One moment you're this, the next moment you're that...what's going on, Sonny?" Charlie questioned.

Without thinking, I was allowing my rapidly switching emotions to get the best of me. Annoyingly, I rolled my eyes and said: "Yeah, well, you don't know what's going on with me because boys don't have to go through a stupid period every month."

At the new tone of my voice, I thought that Charlie was only going to grow more impatient with me and set me straight right then and there with a lecture. But to my surprise, the redness began to fade into a lighter shade, as if he was embarrassedly blushing, and he began to roll his eyes around to look at anywhere but me.

"Oh..." Charlie sounded a bit humiliated, with a pinch of shame added in. He bit down on his thumbnail. "...So...I'm guessin' that's why you've been more moody, craving, and goin' to the bathroom more often, huh?"

To be honest, I felt pretty bad for treating Charlie like that, being extremely sassy and acting like a completely childish bitch since my emotions were wacked up at the time, but I couldn't break my promise to Johnny. We assured each other that we wouldn't allow it to slip about how we accidentally got drunk and gave our virginities away to each other. The guilt still wouldn't stop eating me alive, but if I wanted to keep my part of the word, I had to lie to Charlie.

So, I nodded my head, taking in a deep breath and releasing it shortly after to get a hold of myself.

The redness lf Charlie's face began to fade to this pink shade. "I'm sorry, Sondra, I honestly didn't even consider that. I've been living on my own ever since I moved here from New York. I've, um...I never considered how different girls are from boys."

I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed. "Charlie, I truly am sorry 'bout how I've been acting this passed week, but you're right. My emotions _have _been all over the place. One moment I'm cranky, the next I'm calm, and then I'm scared...I honestly can't help it."

Embarrassedly, Charlie scratched the back of his neck. I could not believe that we were having this conversation, but he had to get used to the thought at some point since he was going to attempt getting custody of me and Iris. If he succeeded, then he had to go through this every month, and Iris would have to go through it all herself one day.

"Um...I'm guessing that, uh...I forgot to pick up some..._female _stuff again, huh?"

"...Yeah."

"Oh...um...well...I'm goin' to the store today, so I can pick some up then."

I would've smiled, but I could feel some more cramps coming on in the pit of my belly, including my sides.

"Thanks, but until then...can I go to the Curtis' house? I mean, since they have Kitten hang out there often, I bet that they have some pads or tampons." I innocently spoke.

At my words, Charlie paled, and his eyes seemed to go just as wide as saucers. It was the truth though. Whenever Kitten's attitude started to rise, and not to mention that Cassidy was twelve, Darry and Soda would loan some of their money to Kitten and have her buy some girl stuff to put under their bathroom sink.

"...I guess that's okay, but when you get back, Iris and I both will be gone, meanin' you have to get your chores done." informed Charlie, and I understandingly nodded my head as I stepped down from the final step and swiped up my new jean jacket that was from Cassidy, from the coat rack.

"All right, I'll be back in a few."

* * *

_- Do the dishes_

_- Scrub the kitchen windows_

_- Organize the shelves _

_- Take out the trash_

_- Do the l__aundry (it's your turn!)_

_- Make lunch (again, your turn!)_

_- Get Iris' bath ready around 1:00_

_- Study for your upcoming health exam_

_- Clean your room if not already done_

The list of my chores went on and on, but I kept reading every word that Charlie took this time to write down as I headed my way up the Curtis' front porch. I just stood there at the front door and silently mouthed the chores as my eyes met them one by one. Though, I finally stopped whence I thought about how I was reading my chores ever since I left out of Charlie's house in the first place. That's when I folded the piece of paper back up and tucked it away in one of my jean jacket's pockets. After that, I knocked on the front door and waited patiently. I knew that Johnny, Ponyboy, Kitten, Steve, and possibly Two-Bit would be gone at school today, but Darry had the day off, and Soda was already gone at the DX.

I probably had to wait for about ten seconds before I heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the door, and then it finally opened up to reveal the eldest Curtis.

"Sondra?" Darry confusedly raised an eyebrow at me, holding a freshly made cup of coffee in one hand, and the newspaper in the other.

I gave him a weak smile and nodded, trying my best to ignore my sudden drowsiness as I tucked a piece of my golden hair behind me ear so I could see him better.

"Hiya, Darry," I greeted.

Darry took a sip of his coffee and swallowed what was in his mouth. "What are you doing here? It's a school day."

"Charlie's letting me play hooky just for today, but I need to get back to his place very soon so I can get a massive list of chores over with." I explained.

The confusion only seemed to be expanding in Darry's eyes. "Then why are you here?"

I could've sworn my face grew as red as the devil, and I embarrassedly scratched the back of my neck as I mumbled out the words: "I need a female thing..."

A short pause formed between Darry and I, but he shook his head at me as he swallowed another drink of his coffee.

"I'm sorry, what? I couldn't hear you." He innocently informed.

I heavily sighed, feeling hotter by the minute as I gazed down at my shoes and began to roll on the balls of my feet.

"My monthly friend is visiting, Darry..." I muttered, quieter than I've ever spoken before in my whole life.

"Sondra, I can't make out what you're saying! Can you speak up?" questioned Darry.

Just like that, as if it was a flash of lightning, annoyance struck me, replacing my usual innocence.

"Mother Nature, Darry! It's Mother Nature, dang it!" I bellowed at the top of my lungs, irritated.

Darry was in the middle of taking another slurp of his morning coffee when my new emotion got the best of me, but after my outburst was out in the open, the oldest Curtis swallowed too hard and quick on his drink and began to rapidly cough.

The redness in my face began to fade away, slowly becoming a bright pinkish color. My eyes went soft all over again, and I unclenched my teeth that were remaining hidden behind my closed lips. My annoyance was already gone...oh, why can't Mother Nature stop torturing my emotions?

"I'm sorry, Darry. I've just been a wreck lately, but hopefully this week will go by." I sighed, both embarrassed and ashamed in myself, and I bit down on my bottom lip.

"...No...no..." Darry attempted to grasp a deep breath, but every time he tried to breathe, another cough would come hacking out of him. Patiently, I bit my tongue and waited for him to go on with whatever he wanted to say. It took him a few moments to finally be able to take in a deep breath and end his coughing, but he sooner got what he wanted.

"It's, uh...it's absolutely fine, Sondra...um, all girls go through this...it's very natural..." Darry seemed to be trying his best to string together a lecture, but other than forcing a smile to show on his face, he was growing red himself. He sometimes reminded me a lot of Charlie.

"...You mind if I come in and...you know...take care of it before I leave again?" I innocently asked, choking back on my own embarrassment the best that I could. Though, relief instantly struck me when Darry gave me a nod and told me that I didn't need to even think 'bout asking a question like that twice.

I headed into the Curtis' house, finding it desperately strange since everything was so quiet with no roaring laughter, the TV on as high as its volume could go, and no cursing going back and forth. All that there was, was complete silence, which I think Darry both liked, but yet hated on his day off. What's the point of a relaxing day off from a hardworking job like roofing houses when there were nobody else to spend the day with? Everyone was either off at school or work, unless if you were Dallas or Kendra...I think Dal actually said somethin' the previous night 'bout taking Kendra to "buy" some new clothes since she came to Tulsa unprepared to be staying for awhile. If I were Darry, I wouldn't adore my day off being on a day without the gang. What's the fun in a quiet day off?

After I entered the Curtis' downstairs bathroom and closed the door, locking it behind me, I was absolutely thankful, and even more relieved to find a girl's thing to use underneath the sink, inside one of the bottom cabinets. I couldn't help myself to moan a little from the new painful cramp slowly beginning to fade from the pit of my stomach, but just as I stripped my jeans and pulled down my underwear just enough to test if there was any red splashes, I instantly grew startled. My underwear didn't look like the flag of China at all; instead, it was the complete opposite. There was no blood at all.

How in the world could I have been going through all of that 'round my time of the month...and it isn't even here the day that it's supposed to be?

All of the sudden, I could've sworn I felt my heart take one heck of a _gigantic_ leap around the whole globe and back, and my eyes shot bigger than ever before. Johnny and I...we got drunk and we had_ it_ at Buck's last party...and all of the sudden, I've been...all of the _cramps_, the _sleepiness_ hitting me, the feelings of getting ready to _vomit_ at any time; _especially in the morning_, my _emotions being a complete mess_, my _massive cravings_ suddenly coming alive, and now I _didn't _have my period. I remember having a talk about these kind of signs in health class not that long ago. I actually had exam coming up about them, and when some girl is going through these symptoms, that could only mean...oh my god..._NO _way...NO!

"Darry!" I could feel salty tears already flooding around in the edges of my eyes and pooling down my beating red cheeks after I called out for the oldest Curtis. I took no hesitation to throw the female thing back underneath the Curtis' sink, and after that, I unlocked the door and yanked it open. I must've jumped atleast five feet in the air and squeaked at the sight of Darry suddenly standing there in the frame, his eyes now wide and he looked like he was breathing to the point that he had just finished a long run.

"Sondra, what's wrong?" The tone of his voice was full of both worry and seriousness.

"Do you have your keys?" I sniffled, wiping away as many of my tears as I could with my sleeve, but new ones just kept taking their places. The salty paths would only keep returning, so I just gave up on cleaning them away.

Raising an eyebrow, Darry continued to stare at me and he paused, not saying a word until he slowly gazed down at one of his jeans pockets and pulled out his car keys. "Yeah, I got 'em right here. What's wrong with you? Why are you cryin' all of the sudden?"

"Darry, listen..." I pleaded, and he understandingly, but eagerly, nodded his head. "I need you to take me to the hospital."

At the mention of me wanting to go to the hospital, Darry's jaw seemed to drop all the way down to the floor.

"The hospital?" He gasped with absolute shock, and it was then my turn to nod. "Why? Are you hurt? Were you jumped by a Soc? Another Regular? Some other greaser that Dallas and I can teach a valuable lesson to?"

"No, Darry!" I whaled, only so I could feel even more hot tears drench down my face. Man, I didn't know there could be so many tears in a person. "I wasn't jumped at all!"

Getting a grip on himself the best that he could, Darry took in a deep; but soft breath and released it before he wrapped one of his arms around my shoulders in a consoling manner.

"Then why do you want me to take you to the hospital?" He calmly and patiently asked.

I could've sworn that all I could hear after taking in his question was the loud thumps of my rapidly racing heart. Again, I tried my best to wash my tears away, but they were still pointless to get rid of.

I forced myself to look directly into Darry's eyes, noticing how they were gleaming off both plead and nervousness, but also a hint of protectiveness.

"Darry..." I ashamedly shook my head, whimpering as if I was some homeless puppy, begging for food and love. "...I think I'm pregnant."

* * *

**A/N: OH! I TOLD you all that there would be a massive cliffhanger! XD **

**The more reviews I get, the faster I'll try to update! ;D Do it for Dally! (That was for my friend Nadine! XD)**

**How is Darry going to respond to Sondra's news?**

**Will Charlie get custody of Sondra and Iris?**

**Who is Ponyboy working on his science project with?**

**What will Kitten do if she finds out Jesse Sheldon, her ex and Bob's older hoodlum brother, is dating Amanda? Or what 'bout Dally for that matter?**

**What is Amanda planning to do to get back at Sondra since she "stole" Johnny from her?**

**Will Iris beat this new disorder or hers? **

**Find out all of the questions, and _much _more, in the upcoming chapters! Please favorite, follow, and review! See you all in the next update! Thanks, everyone! :D :D :D :D**


	7. A Trip To The Hospital

**A/N: I'm back again with 'nother chapter! A special thanks goes out to those who reviewed, and remember that the more reviews I get will help me get these updates out quicker, ASAP since school is going more insane by the minute. :P Anyway, please favorite, follow, and review! Is Sondra _really _pregnant, or is this all just in her head? Let's find out! Enjoy chapter 7! :D :D :) :)**

**ALSO: ANOTHER MASSIVE CLIFFHANGER XD**

* * *

_Sondra's POV_

I couldn't be pregnant, I couldn't be pregnant, I just _couldn't _be pregnant! There was _no way _that a little baby was starting to build and grow inside of my stomach! I'm no where near ready for parenthood! There was no doubt in me that if I somehow was carrying a tiny person inside of me that Johnny was the father. As much as I'd hate to admit it, there was no other option. I never had it with anybody else before in my entire life, considering that I wanted to wait until I got married way later into the future. However, I'm afraid that it's too late to go back and start over at Buck's party. Like Johnny said, we did it, but it's over, and we can't reverse what happened between us because our drunk selves obviously ended up taking things too far in our relationship. Our virginities were no more, and when a virginity is gone, there was no way of getting it back.

I kept trying to convince myself that this was all in my head, but I knew that deep down inside that it was a possibility. I doubt that there was any protection involved, and it was obvious that I wasn't on the pill. Why would a drunk couple, especially one that was at one of Buck's wild parties, care to make sure that everything was safe before making love?

I just turned fifteen though! I wasn't ready to become a mother, and if I _was _pregnant...the thought still gave me the chills...Johnny was just turning seventeen in a few months and he was starting to get better in school without anybody needing to help him often. I knew that he wasn't ready to take the huge responsibility of becoming a father. Being parents were one of the most difficult responsibilities in the whole wide universe...how could Johnnycake and I, two teenagers, raise any child?

NO! _NO_! No, you stop that thinking right now, Sondra Allison Prescott! You're not pregnant! This is all just one big misunderstanding! Maybe your period is just running a little late! You and Johnny aren't going to become parents because you're obviously _not _carrying any baby!

I kept hollering and sometimes even cursing myself out in my head on the entire ride in Darry's truck to the hospital. I don't think I've ever seen Darry so pale before in my entire life. When I shamefully and embarrassedly stuttered out the truth about how I thought that I was pregnant, Darry's eyes looked as if they were about to bulge right out of his head. All of the mercy and nervousness that were previously glimmering them drained away instantly, and Darry took no hesitation to grasp me by my arm after he fetched his boots and slipped them on.

I cried the whole way to the hospital, not saying a word to the eldest Curtis as he went on and on lecturing me like tomorrow would never come. His face was beating redder than the devil's, and a new mixture of anger and disappointment was now shining in his furiously narrowed eyes. He was gripping the steering wheel of his truck to the point where his knuckles were going pale, and I thought that the wheel would have gave and snapped right underneath his fingertips at anytime throughout the entire ride to the hospital.

I don't believe that I've ever seen Darry so upset, but I didn't blame him. If I was in his shoes, I would've been bellowing at me, too. Out of every girl Darry has met in his life, I was one of them who he thought would _never _make such a mistake like this one, possibly being pregnant. What kind of example would I be setting for my kid sister? And what about Cassidy and even little Jocelyn for that matter? Teenage pregnancy is nothing to be proud of, and I was certainly ashamed in myself and humiliated as well. Though, I didn't know exactly if I was pregnant yet...I couldn't have been...I _wasn't_...

After Darry parked his truck in the parking lot at the hospital, I had finally grasped myself well enough to stop crying. However, that didn't stop Darry from continuing to go on with his lecture after he grabbed me by my arm again and led us both through the main doors of the hospital. After that, he greeted the lady at the front desk with a smile and explained the situation with the calmest tone that he could pass. We needed a room, and after waiting for about ten minutes in the waiting room, Dr. Bender came into the room and announced my name.

"All right, Sondra, I understand that you just turned fifteen and that you're concerned that you believe that you may be pregnant. Is this correct?" Dr. Bender asked me as he closed the door to my small hospital after he entered. I was already kicking back on the sheet covered examining table, and Darry was eagerly tapping one of his feet against the cold, white, clean floor, sitting in one of the chairs that were in the corner.

Embarrassedly, I gazed down at my shoes as my legs slowly dangled back and forth from where I was sitting. I could tell that Darry was giving me that look of his that meant, 'If you don't tell him, I will.'

"Yes, that's right..." I slowly nodded my head, keeping the tone of my voice quiet and trying not to expose my nervousness.

"Well then," Dr. Bender took a fast look at his clipboard before he pulled a different chair over to the center of the small room and sat down. He then fixed his eyes back on me, adjusting his glasses as he said: "I'm just goin' to ask you a few questions, all right? After that, I'll take a blood test from you so we can just see if you really are pregnant, okay?"

At the mention of a blood test, my eyes grew for about three seconds, and I took down a giant gulp to help clear a forming bump from the center of my throat. If there was one main thing that I desperately hated, other than the Socs and the Cobras, it was needles. I just couldn't stand the picture of a pointy thing pricking my arm or sliding under my skin. Needles and pins...that just sent even more chills up my spine, but I understandingly nodded at the doctor. I needed to find out the truth.

"Okay, let's see here," Dr. Bender began to scan his clipboard again. "Have you been feeling lightheaded or more sleepy than usual?"

I scratched my cheek with my thumbnail for a moment. I could feel how hot I was already beginning to form. "Yeah, my sleeping patterns have changed quite a bit."

Understandingly, Dr. Bender nodded and seemed to write down some stuff on his clipboard, along with checking something else off. After that, he glanced at me again.

"How about your eating? Have you been more hungry?"

I took no hesitation to nod. "Yes, I have. I sometimes can't sleep from these massive cramps just forming in the pit of my stomach, so I head downstairs and get something to sink my teeth into. When I eat, I eat like I've never ate before."

"I see," Dr. Bender scribbled some more stuff down on his clipboard. "Cramps, you say? How do these cramps feel? Extremely painful, or do they feel like an ordinary cramp? This is very important because if you are pregnant and the cramps are nothing but massive pain, you could most likely have a miscarriage."

At the term 'miscarriage,' I couldn't help to tremble from the new sharp chills tingling up and down my spine. I loved little kids and toddlers and babies, but I didn't want to have my own right now. The horrifying picture of a miscarriage startled me, right next to the heartbreaking image of abortion.

"The cramps are pretty much a lot alike what girls get around their period. Not extremely painful, but enough to get a girl to sometimes groan." I explained.

"Ah, you're speaking about ovulation. Those cramps are nothing to be worried over then." Dr. Bender assured me. "Now, when were you supposed to have your period?"

"Today, actually," I replied. "I went to the bathroom to check, but when I did, there was nothing there. I don't understand. I mean, I'm going through all of the signs of a monthly gift coming back 'round, but I didn't start today."

"Well, Ms. Prescott, missing your period at your age is a very common thing. I wouldn't worry about it, so don't think that you might be pregnant just because your time of month didn't arrive just yet. It might just be a little delayed, but we'll find out the truth behind all of this very shortly." lectured Dr. Bender, and I quietly gulped to myself at the thought of me possibly being pregnant. I forced myself to nod though.

When Dr. Bender began to glance at his clipboard yet again, I didn't wait to take a peek over at Darry. He was bright red all over again, staring right back at me with seriousness locked in both of his eyes. I didn't know if he was red that time because of listening to the doctor talk to me about Mother Nature or because he was still startled about how I might be pregnant. It was possibly both, but when Dr. Bender stared back up at me, I gazed right back.

"What about vomiting? Have you been feeling sick to your stomach at all?" He questioned, his eyebrow now raised with concern.

"Oh man, yes I have been throwing up a lot. Every time I eat something, I'm sooner gettin' rid of it a few moments or sometimes atleast an hour later." I answered.

"I can understand that. You're craving a lot, remember? When you eat so much, your stomach can't handle it, especially if the food you're eating is too sweet or too salty." shared Dr. Bender. Again, I nodded my head. "But what about the time that you throw up? Is it more often in the morning, afternoon, or nighttime?"

I didn't need to think twice there. "In the morning, especially when I roll out of bed or after I eat breakfast."

"I see," Dr. Bender finished up his writing on his clipboard and closed his pen, right before he tucked it back behind his ear. "You did a great job at answering the questions, Sondra. Now, I'm going to take some of your blood so I can test to see if you're really pregnant."

Again, my eyes grew at the mention of the blood test, and I felt as if I was about to hurl from being so terrified.

"It's just a little needle, Sondra." Darry said in a calm tone from where he was still sitting in the corner, but I truly knew that he still wanted to lecture me some more about how I was possibly pregnant.

"And what's your relationship to this young man, Ms. Prescott? Is he your older brother?" Dr. Bender asked me, offering a small grin over his shoulder for a moment, as he got the tube and the needle ready, along with the...I think it was peroxide and a small cotton ball.

"No, he's just my friend," I innocently spoke, now hiding some forming sorrow from the mention of an older brother. "I don't have an older brother anymore."

"Oh...well I'm sorry to hear that..." Dr. Bender said in a apologetic voice, but I didn't say anything back. I didn't want to talk about Gabriel until Brother's Day. I mean, that's when Iris and I were going to go to the cemetery to pay his tombstone a little visit, and we'll say whatever we wanted to say right then and there, together. So, all I did was shrug at Dr. Bender.

I clenched my eyes shut and looked away, squeezing my knuckles so tight to the point where I could feel them beginning to tremble. I didn't need to look to know that they were going paler by the minute. The cold medicine on the small cotton ball met by skin, rubbing gently up and down for about three or so seconds. After that, I clenched my teeth and felt like all I could hear was the sound of my heart rapidly racing in my chest, each pump seeming as if it was harder than the last. I honestly never knew that a heart could pump at such a quick speed. Was my heart going to burst?

I felt the needle prick my skin, and a quiet yelp escaped from my lips. I then didn't feel anything, but I still refused to look. The room was completely silent, and all that I could see was blackness. Finally, I felt the stickiness of a band-aid get placed over the spot where I felt my arm get pricked. That's when I stopped clenching my teeth and reopened my eyes, knowing that the blood test was over and I didn't need to worry about anymore pins or needles. In relief, I took in a deep; but soft breath and released it quietly to myself.

"All right," Dr. Bender stated, exchanging glances with both me and Darry. "You two just sit tight, okay? I'll be back with the results in just a few minutes."

"Thank you, Dr." Darry said, his voice still calm since Dr. Bender was still there. I nodded my head with agreement, and Dr. Bender offered us both a smile before he left my hospital room with my blood and his clipboard.

To my surprise, Darry didn't leap up from where he was sitting and start lecturing me out of nowhere all over again. Instead, he just continued sitting there in the corner, gazing at me as if I was a maniac or somethin' like that. I knew that possibly getting pregnant at fifteen was nothing to be fond over, but did he really have to add onto my stress? I was already nervous about what the results would come out as. The last thing I needed was Darry, one of my friends, blowing up at me like he did on the ride here.

"I know that you're mad at me, Darry," I rolled my eyes to myself and sighed.

Darry crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm more disappointed. I mean, you just turned fifteen last week! How in the world can you be pregnant? You're better than that, Sonny!"

"I know I am, but it's not like I meant to have it! I actually wanted to wait until I got married in the far future before I dared to give away my virginity, but it just happened!" I tried to reason with the eldest Curtis without letting Buck's party slip, or about how it was all with Johnny. I'm just surprised that Darry never suspected that since Johnnycake _was _my boyfriend.

"How?" Darry demanded to know, the tone of his voice now mixed with drop-dead seriousness and some rage. "_How _in the world did this just happen? Having it doesn't just happen, Sondra!"

My wrecked emotions were beginning to get the best of me again. "Well, it did with me!" I barked viciously. "You have no idea how terrible I feel 'bout all of this, but you should know that givin' me this whole dang lecture isn't making this any easier for you or me!"

"Sondra, I'm just stating the facts!" Darry pointed out as he stood up from his chair and began to exam the pictures of different X-rays and even the birth process that were on the wall. How in the world could a women give birth to something _that _big out of such a little...ew! There was no way that I was goin' to go through that painful process. I'm _not _pregnant!

"Darry, I get that possibly being pregnant isn't such a gigantic ray of golden sunshine from heaven for somebody my age, but I honestly didn't mean to have it! You got to believe me!" I began to sound like that I was begging more than anything.

"...When did you even have it?" Darry suddenly asked after a pause, his eyebrow now cocked with curiosity.

My eyes went huge. "What?"

"You know what!" Darry barked, his eyes now sharply narrowed.

I didn't want to tell Darry anything about Buck's party, especially since I understood completely how much he disliked Buck, and he didn't like anybody but Dally or Two-Bit going there. My promise to Johnny was only beginning to eat at me all over again. I felt as if I was being yanked back and forth in a tug-a-war game, half of me actually wanting to get this off of my chest and tell Darry everything, but the other half of me obviously wanted to keep my promise to my Johnnycake. He was going through just as much nervousness and guilt as I was, I bet, and how would he feel, or _I _feel for that matter, when he's been keeping his mouth shut all week about Buck's party and I break my half of the promise by telling Darry.

"...I had it a week ago, okay?" I figured that admitting when I had it wouldn't be such a big deal, but I really should've used my head there.

"A week ago?" It was then Darry's turn to allow his eyes to go big all over again. "But that was the day we had your surprise birthday party! When could you have possibly had it? And with whom exactly? Do you have any idea how Johnnycake will act towards this if he finds out?"

Oh my god, was he serious? I'm not tryin' to be rude here, but I always figured that Superman would put the pieces together there about me and Johnny...you know, since we're a happy couple who love each other and wouldn't part or ever think about cheating on each other.

"Trust me, Darry," I rolled my eyes to myself. "I understand completely how Johnnycake will react...and if I am somehow pregnant...he'll be just as upset as me..."

Complete confusion swiped across Darry's face. He shrugged. "What are you talkin' about, Sondra?"

I didn't say anything back; I didn't get a chance to. After Darry's question, all we had were about three extra seconds of silence before my hospital room's door opened up again. Without any hesitation, Darry and I flashed our full attention over to the door, only so we could lie our eyes on Dr. Bender and a female ginger nurse that was a little behind him. In Dr. Bender's hands, he was holding what I was guessing were my results.

Nervously, I gripped the examining table, and Darry stood as stiff as a rock, standing up straight and keeping his undivided attention on Dr. Bender and the nurse.

"The results came faster than I thought that they would," shared Dr. Bender, and I could tell by the sighing tone of his voice that this wasn't going to end well. I stiffened just like Darry when the doctor laid his emerald green eyes on me. "Ms. Prescott...you _are _pregnant. Your blood test came back with higher amounts of HCG and it all makes sense by each of your responses to the questions that I asked you."

I could've sworn I heard a loud, echoing _CRACK_...that was my heart breaking. Hot, steaming tears welded up in my eyes, and I didn't wait a single moment to lock my hands over my face to hide all of my pain, sorrow, shame, and embarrassment that was all wrapped up in one. I _was _pregnant...I _was _carrying a baby...but that baby wasn't just mine...it was created with Johnny's DNA, too. I was going to be a teenage mother...and Johnny was going to be a teenage father...oh my god..._NO_!

"This can't be true!" I whaled, allowing all of my salty tears to drench down my face like a billion rivers. "I just _can't _be pregnant! I'm too young; I'm just fifteen!"

"I'm afraid that the blood test proves everything, Ms. Prescott." Dr. Bender sighed.

That's when Darry took no hesitation to jump on in. I stand corrected..._now _I've never seen him so shocked before in my entire life.

"But it's true that sometimes blood tests can be mistaken. I would know; my family and I have wrong blood tests pretty much every time we get blood drawn." The oldest Curtis stated. "Doctor, is it possible that this could be just one mighty big misunderstanding?"

I peeked slightly through my fingers to notice Dr. Bender and the ginger nurse exchange some uncertain facial expressions.

"Well..." the ginger nurse said in a 'how should I put this' like voice. By the look of her nametag, I could see that her name was Nina. "It _is _a possibility for blood tests being incorrect from time to time, but it's extremely rare."

"...Not in my family, it isn't..." Darry promised, and I could've sworn if this was a joking matter, he would've been snickering right then and there.

Again, Dr. Bender and Nina exchanged their facial expressions, Dr. Bender's saying something like "What should we do?" while Nina just bit down on her bottom lip.

"If you'd like, I guess that I can have nurse Nina here take an ultrasound. How long ago did you have intercourse, Ms. Prescott?" Dr. Bender questioned, obviously curious.

I wiped away as many of my tears as I could with my balled up fists, and I sniffled out: "A week ago."

"And do you know who the father is? We can't have any kind of DNA testing until the baby is actually born." informed the doctor, and after he said the word 'Father,' I didn't wait to slowly fix my eyes on Darry. In return, he was giving me a sort of confused look that was as if he was silently asking me, "Why are you staring at me?"

"Yes...I know exactly who the father is..." I said, raising my eyebrows at Darry. It took him a moment or two to catch what I meant, but after thinking it through, his eyes went huge and his mouth formed a small 'O' shape. I'm afraid that I couldn't keep my half of the promise anymore. Darry could tell what I meant...Johnny was the father of the baby that was growing inside of me.

"Would you like an ultrasound? It might just be a week since the baby was made, but we should still be able to find the heart forming." Dr. Bender said.

"Yes, please." I eagerly nodded my head, and Darry needed to sit back down so he could digest the truth about Johnny and I.

"All right, Ms. Prescott. If you look behind you, you'll see a patient's bright yellow gown hanging there on the wall. Strip off all of your clothes, minus your underwear and bra, and nurse Nina here will be back in a few with the baby finder machine." Dr. Bender glanced at the ginger-haired nurse and slightly jerked his head twice out the door. She nodded in response and left the room. Behind her, Dr. Bender followed, but not without saying: "It was a pleasure doing business with you both."

After that, he closed the door behind him and I was left all alone with Darry all over again. I closed my eyes, expecting the eldest Curtis to leap up from his chair and holler at me, but to my surprise, all I got from him was silence. I slowly reopened my eyes, peeking over at Darry to see him still sitting in the chair, now chewing on his thumbnail.

"Darry?" I quietly said his name, but all I got in response for the first ten seconds was the continuous quietness.

"...Johnny is the father of that possible little breathing thing that's inside of your stomach?" Darry questioned, but his voice wasn't angry or anything like that at all. It sounded to me like he had the air knocked out of him or something. He was _that _shocked, but I didn't blame him.

"We don't know that for sure, Darry. I mean, yes...Johnny and I _did _do it, but we didn't mean to...and you said so yourself that blood tests could make mistakes." I gulped nervously as I slipped off my shoes and socks, but before going any further, I gave Darry a stare.

Without waiting for a single minute, Darry swirled his seat around so he could be staring directly at the corner that he was sitting in. It was as if he was a little child in a timeout.

"Yes, but you heard what the nurse said; it's very rare for a blood test to be incorrect. I have no idea why it's so common in my family, but maybe it's because my kid brothers are just plain nuts." Darry said. I swear, if I wasn't so scared, I would've been laughing at how the eldest Curtis just said that, staring at the wall and all.

"...Why did you and Johnnycake have it?" Darry hesitated before asking, just as I unzipped my jeans and allowed them to hit the floor.

I pouted, knowing that I would feel a desperate amount of guilt either way. If I told Darry, I would break my part of the promise to my boyfriend. However, if I didn't tell Darry, I'd still feel pretty guilty about how I was keeping such a huge secret from everybody in the gang, including Kendra, Charlie, and Iris.

"Do you promise to keep this all a secret, Dare?" I squeaked, taking off my top and dropping it to the floor. I didn't wait, feeling too exposed in the drafty hospital room to stand there for another second in just my bra and underwear. So, I grabbed the bright yellow patient's gown from where it was hanging on the wall like Dr. Bender instructed, and I slipped it on over my body. It looked just like a nightgown, but it felt absolutely like paper. It wasn't very comfortable, but I knew that I only had to deal with it for a few more minutes.

Darry sighed. "I guess I can for now, but the gang is goin' to find out sooner or later. I mean, if you really are pregnant, then your stomach will start showing a bit by the third or forth month in."

"I know, I know..." It was then my turn to sigh, and I climbed back onto the examination table. I sighed again, this one being heavier and a bit louder. "Johnnycake and I were actually plannin' to tell everyone that he had it at some point, but I guess with you right now is as good as time as any...when everyone was at school and work, Dally ended up takin' Johnny and I to Buck's previous party."

"What?" Darry cut me off, the tone of his voice a blustering gasp. I could tell he wasn't mad at me or Johnnycake though; he was upset with Dallas.

"Yeah...and after awhile of just sittin' there and trying to tune out all of the loud music and crazy people that were getting rip-roaring drunk and high as heck..." I hesitated so I could grasp another breath and release it as yet another sigh. "Johnny and I decided to get some alcoholic free drinks, but when we had some of the fruit punch that these two server guys gave to us...we didn't know that the punch was actually spiked. Before we knew it...I guess that we got drunk, and I woke up completely bare in one of Buck's rooms...Johnny woke up not so long after with nothing on himself."

I didn't need to see Darry's face to know how stunned he was about the story, but he didn't say anything back at first. I started to think that after hearin' the full story that he would be more furious with Dallas than at anybody else. Dally _knew _how much Darry hated anybody else, except Two-Bit going over to someplace absolutely reckless and dangerous like Buck's place, especially during one of his parties.

"...When are you exactly goin' to confess the pregnancy if it's true?" Darry questioned.

"Hey!" I snapped my fingers, my tone now serious. "We don't know if I'm really pregnant yet!"

"But if you are, you should know that life is never goin' to be the same. I'm not tryin' to put any stress on you or anythin', but teenage pregnancy is a rather difficult topic." informed the eldest Curtis.

I smacked my hand straight onto my forehead and ran it through my golden blonde hair. "I think I can already tell that, Darry...I know that school will never be the same..._nothing _in my life will be the same anymore...and same goes for Johnnycake if he even wants to stay together with me after getting pregnant with his child."

"Well, like you said before, we don't know if that blood test was incorrect. The ultrasound will set this all straight, but you should know that Johnny isn't like any other teenage boy. He won't ever ditch anybody, especially a girl. Knowing him, there is no doubt that he'll be shocked if it turns out that he will be a father, but he won't leave you or treat you any different. Nobody from the gang will; we all stick together no matter what."

"But what 'bout Dally? He hated me when we first met, remember? You know, because I'm a Regular? How will he feel 'bout Johnnycake, a greaser, giving it up to me, a Regular?" I worriedly questioned.

I didn't need to see Darry's face to know that he most likely just rolled his eyes at the mention of Dally.

"Don't worry 'bout Dal, Sondra. I'll make sure that he doesn't try anything; the whole gang will, actually. Sure, they'll all be stunned, but I was and I must admit that I still am, but that doesn't mean I hate you or anythin' like that. I was just caught off guard, and I know that the rest of the gang will be, too." Darry lectured me, but that still didn't erase my fear of Dally, or my new nervousness that was beginning to form because of Kendra, Charlie, and Iris.

"But what 'bout Charlie? Or Kenny? And even little Iris? If I actually am carryin' an infant, will that cause Charlie's demand for custody to go down?" I nervously asked, but to my surprise, Darry actually shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

"Believe it or not, no," He stated. "A lot of courts have passed teenage pregnancy into the new guardian or guardians hands. As long as they help protect and raise the baby, it's fine in the court's eyes."

I opened my mouth to see if I could ask another question, but before I could, the door to my hospital room flew open again. Nurse Nina stood there, forcing a small grin as she pushed in what looked like a TV to me, and it was hooked up to this thing that kind of looked like a small; square shaped flashlight.

Darry stood back up and swirled the chair back around, right before he quickly closed the door behind the ginger-haired nurse. The gown wasn't really revealing, so I didn't mind Darry looking at me then, and I knew that he could tell that I didn't because he didn't move his eyes from my face.

"All right, Ms. Prescott," Nina instructed with a kind voice, just as she flipped some switches on the TV looking machine. "I'm just goin' to need you to lay down and allow me to unstrap the flap that's over the womb. Then I'll just use this thing," She showed me and Darry both the thing that I thought looked like a square shaped flashlight. "To see if you're really pregnant or not."

I nodded a single time, and then laid all the way down on the soft sheet. Darry stood near my head, brushing some of my strands of hair out of my face with his fingertips as I felt Nina unclothe the piece of the patient's gown that was over the womb. I forced a small smile at Darry, listening to my heart beat loudly in my chest. I could feel the square shaped flashlight thing slowly moving back and forth, up and down.

"Let's see here...hm...a heart, a heart...where is that little heart..." Nina started to hum a soft tune to herself, and I just attempted to relax and remain calm as I stared up at the ceiling. Nothing but silence filled the room, and Darry stroked my hair in a comforting manner.

"Do you see anythin', nurse?" I finally questioned, breaking the quietness. I began to grow calm some, thinking that the blood test really _was _a huge mistake.

"Um...I think...oh...wait a minute..." Nina's voice seemed to go from gentle and calm, to surprised and startled all of the sudden. That only had my nervousness returning.

"What is it, nurse?" Darry questioned, concerned.

"Well...I see not only one heart forming, but I also see two extra..._three _hearts are forming inside of you right now, Ms. Prescott." announced Nina.

"What?" I gasped at the top of my lungs, and she bit down on her bottom lip as she nodded.

"Take a look yourself." Nina told me and Darry as she pointed one of her long; red painted nails at the grayish screen. I squinted my eyes, focusing real closely on the picture.

"Oh my god..." Darry jaw seemed to actually drop all the way down to the floor. They might've been small, but after I laid my eyes on them, I noticed that Nina was right. I must've been whiter than a sheet after I rested my eyes on the three; tiny; peanut like hearts.

"I _do _see three hearts..." My huge eyes began to water all over again, and I choked out the words: "B-But that means...I'm not only pregnant, b-but..."

"Yep," Nina nodded her head. "You're having triplets."

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**A/N: OH! If you thought that the last chapter had a big cliffhanger, what about THIS one? XD **

**The more reviews I get, the faster I'll attempt to update! ;D ;D **

**Also: I know that ultrasounds didn't exist back then, but I just made it up to go with this plot. **

**You all know the questions that I always ask! XD All of those questions, and _much _more, are coming soon in the upcomin' chapters! Please favorite, follow, and review! Stay tuned for the next chapter! See you all then! Thanks, everyone! :D :D :D :D **


	8. Other Options?

**A/N: It's time for 'nother chapter! A special thanks goes out to those who reviewed the last chapter! Remember, the more reviews I get, the faster I'll attempt to update! Now, please follow, favorite, and review! Enjoy the next chapter! :D :D :) :)**

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_Darry's POV_

I don't think I've ever seen Sondra cry so much before ever since she became like a part of the gang. I couldn't blame her for bawling though. I mean, she recently turned fifteen and now she's pregnant with Johnny's triplets. I honestly had no idea how the rest of the gang would react after they find out sooner or later, but all I could tell was the fact that they were going to be extremely shocked. Dally was going to be without a doubt furious, but I wasn't going to allow him to harm Sondra or a little hair on either of those three babies little heads when they came.

When I paid the bill, Sondra had bashed out of the hospital as if the devil himself was chasing her. At that, I formed a worried pout and attempted scattering everything that just happened together in my mind. Piece by piece, I tried my best to convince myself that this wasn't a situation that was _that _bad, but I truly knew on the inside that things couldn't possibly get any worse. Not only was Sondra fifteen and pregnant, but she was having Johnny's triplets, and they didn't mean to give their virginities away from the start. Whenever this secret came out, I was seriously going to mangle Dallas for taking Johnny and Sondra to one of Buck's reckless parties in the first place.

Sondra wouldn't stop shedding many tears like a waterfall throughout half of the ride back to my place. I couldn't stand to hear her in so much pain. Yes, I must admit that I _was _furious when she first told me that she thought that she was pregnant, but now that we both know that it's positive...I don't know. I can't explain it, but I wasn't mad at all at her anymore. My dad used to joke around with me by saying that I was cursed with a good heart. I knew right from wrong and I knew it was the correct time to be stern or understanding. If my parents were still alive, I knew exactly what they'd want me to do.

Unlike the Socs and their so-called perfect parents, mine, Ponyboy, and Soda's parents wouldn't want me to try convincing Sondra to abort her child. I already got the lecture down, so all I have left to do now were two things: console Sondra and help with as much as possible.

"Sondra, please stop crying," I sighed. I honestly wanted to turn on the radio and play an Elvis song, but I knew that that wasn't such a golden idea. That would only make Sondra feel worse, as if I wasn't listening or caring about her feelings...didn't think I'd say that about a girl for awhile.

I think Sondra attempted whimpering something like: "I can't!" but I couldn't quite make it out since I was sure that she was shedding more tears than Dally when he thought that Johnny had died. Though, all Sondra did was quickly shake her head then, and lock her hands over her face so her running tears and her red skin color would be out of my sight.

"Sondra, please," I began to beg a little as I quickly glanced back and forth from her to the road a few times. "You need to get a hold of yourself."

"How?" She challenged, sniffling like crazy. She took her cuffed hands away from her face and stared at me with those red-rimmed eyes of hers, which were just overflowing with more salty tears by the minute.

"Look," I stated. "I know that this is something you never suspected would happen to you, but since it is, you got to start planning out what you're going to do. You have to get cribs, changing tables, baby bottles, baby clothes, baby toys..." My list of baby supplies kept going on for maybe another ten seconds, but I quickly shut myself up when I realized how I was only making Sondra cry more.

I began to mutter every word in the book, cursing myself out for making such an idiotic move.

Sondra then wiped away as many of her tears as she could, but no matter how many times she did, the red streaks came flowing back down from her eyes.

"I'm not ready for this, Darry!" Sondra whimpered and clung herself to one of my arms. "I'm just fifteen and Johnny's just turning seventeen in a few months! Neither of us are ready for parenthood! We got no money, no baby supplies to begin with, and not even a roof for the babies to be under since Charlie's house has no more rooms available!"

I heavily sighed, holding back the stabbing pains that were in my throat from feeling my own tears begging to escape. I just couldn't cry in front of Sondra, especially with the timing that we were trapped in. I was Superman in the gang's eyes, and if there was one thing that Superman was always responsible for, it was fixing things and helping others with any trouble that they had.

"Sondra, you're not goin' to go through this all alone, you hear? Like I told you in the hospital, Johnny isn't the type of teenage boy who would knock a girl up and just leave her like that. He actually has a heart and not to mention a soul." I could've sworn that if this was a joking matter, Sondra and I would've both been atleast chuckling over my words, but we were both still pretty rattled up about the whole pregnancy thing.

Sondra rested her head in her hands and heavily sighed.

"He's going to be absolutely furious when he finds out that he's going to be a daddy, Darry. He already takes care of his own kid sisters like they're his daughters...how in the world is he goin' to be when he realizes that he'll be getting his own _actual _daughters, sons, or both in nine months? Heck, I'm already a week in."

I pouted, keeping my eyes that were beginning to pool up with sorrow on the road. The last thing I needed was for Sondra to know that I was getting attacked with just as much sadness that she was. Was I worried? A little over how Johnny would react, yeah. To be honest, I didn't think the rest of the gang would be that big of a deal. Trust me, I knew that they were going to blow up with complete shock, but they wouldn't ever turn on a friend. If we dared to turn on our own members, Johnny would still be lying where we found him after he got jumped by Socs, and Dally would still be on the ground after getting shot by the police. We care about our members, no matter how stubborn or annoying that they could get from time to time. Sondra was an all right girl; she never really complained or anything, but she was awfully quiet once in awhile.

"Sonny, I don't want you to panic over this. I know that teenage pregnancy is nothin' to be proud of, but since you are actually carrying not just one, but _three_ little babies, you can't risk to panic about this every day. That could just risk your changes of suffering a miscarriage with one, two, or maybe even all three of your babies." I stated, but after I brought up the term 'miscarriage,' Sondra looked as if she paled, and her tearful eyes went wide. Before I knew it, she was bawling all over again. I felt like I just wanted to smack myself over the head with a brick. I knew for sure that if my parents were still alive, they would be handling this a whole lot better than what I was.

"Sondra, please stop! You have to stop crying and listen to me, all right? Your triplets are going to be completely safe and healthy if you take the first step of dealing with teenage pregnancy, which just so happens to be to stop letting your shock get the best of you!" I demanded. It probably took an extra few seconds, but before I saw it coming, Sondra was choking back her whimpers the best that she could and wiping away all of her tears with her sleeves, trying her best not to allow another single tear to drop from either of her red-rimmed eyes.

I grinned a little, but I could still feel my own tears beginning to prickle the edges of my eyes. "All right, good job," I took in and released a giant, but very soft breath of relief. "Now, I'm not going to allow you and Johnny to go through this all by yourselves. Like you said, you just turned fifteen and Johnnycake will just be seventeen in a couple of months. So, I'll make sure that the rest of the gang helps and pitches in with all of this."

At my assuring words, Sondra's eyes went wide. She stuttered out: "W-What are you t-talking about, Darry?"

I forced my smile to grow some more as I kept my slowly wetting eyes on the road.

"Well, I'm sure that my parents still have plenty of baby clothes from when Soda, Pony, and I were infants. If you just so happen to have sons or just a son, then you're in luck. Though, you don't need to worry about if you're having Johnny's daughters or daughter because Soda and I can take some extra shifts to earn some more money. That way, we can help pay for the baby bottles, diapers, baby toys, and everything else imaginable that a baby will need." I went on and on lecturing, but I stopped when I realized how stunned Sondra was. Her eyes were like marbles, huge and glassy like, and her mouth had dropped open to form a somewhat big 'O' shape. I guess that she suspected me to still be furious with her, but my anger has been gone ever since we saw the ultrasound. Now, all I wanted to do was comfort her and promise that I'll always be there for her and Johnny, along with their triplets. The rest of the gang would be too.

"But...what about cribs and changing tables, Darry? Those cost hundreds of dollars!" Sondra pointed out, the tone of her voice giving it away that she was clearly shocked.

At her startled feelings, I couldn't help myself to giggle. "Sondra, you _do _know who you're talking to right now, right? Who says we need to _buy _changing tables and cribs?"

I could tell by the way Sondra's mouth fell to an even bigger 'O' shape that she got the wrong idea. She seriously needed to stop spending so much time with Two-Bit, and Two-Bit had to stop bringing his shoplifting stories back into the house.

"I don't mean _stealing_, Sonny," I rolled my eyes, and Sondra released a deep breath of what sounded like relief to me. A small grin made its way back on my face within a few seconds. "With my experience of roofing for what feels like years, I can simply just build three cribs and changing tables just like that." If I wasn't driving, I would've snapped my fingers at the end of my speaking.

"Oh, wow...um...Darry, that's very sweet of you, but where can we put all of that stuff?" Sondra nervously placed her right hand on her left shoulder, and her other hand on her right hip.

I bit down on my lip to digest and think that question through for a moment. She was wondering about the triplets bedroom...being infants, they wouldn't need to be in three separate rooms until they got to maybe age four is what I'm thinking. After thinking heavily for about a minute or two, knowing that Charlie had no more rooms in his house and there weren't many more options that Sondra knew of to pick from, it was as if a lightbulb flicked on in my brain. Man, I bet my parents would be proud.

After I stopped my truck slowly in front of a red light, I turned my little grin over to Sondra, who confusedly raised an eyebrow in return.

"You know, Soda, Ponyboy, and I have a guest room that nobody bothers to use..." I shared, and Sondra's eyes grew all over again. "How about we...you know...change that into a nursery for the babies? I mean, you come over nearly every day and Johnny does, too."

I was met with silence for about ten seconds, but it came to an end when Sondra shook her head eagerly and said: "No, I couldn't ask you to do that, Darry."

My smile instantly washed away from my face, and I curiously raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"

Sondra gave me a look that make it look as if she was asking, "Are you freaking serious?" but I let it go and waited patiently for her to answer. I turned my attention back to the road as the light finally turned back to green.

"Darry," Sondra ran her hands through her golden blonde hair. "These are _babies _we're talking about! Three little living, breathing things that will need to be fed and changed and looked over every hour of every day! They'll be crying all day and night, and God knows how many diapers will be tossed in just a few hours!"

"Sondra, you're getting yourself worked up again," I warned her, secretly rolling my eyes to myself there, and she luckily didn't notice.

"I'm sorry..." She took in a deep breath and let it out maybe three seconds later to regain her small amount of calmness.

I nodded my head in the new silence.

"Better," I approved, but I was still met with quietness. I took a small, quick glance over at Sondra to see her nervously gazing down at her lap. "Sondra, are you okay?" I hesitated before asking, already knowing the answer to my question.

"...No, I'm still pregnant..." Sondra took her time to respond, turning her attention slightly out the window. I could tell by the cracking tone of her voice that she was on the verge of crying again.

To be honest, I was starting to grow a little annoyed towards her behavior. She figured that she was pregnant after realizing that she didn't have her monthly friend, and it made sense since she and Johnny drank spiked fruit punch and got drunk. But this time was different; this time Sondra and I both know that it's true and she's having three of Johnny's sons, daughters, or mixes.

"Well, you better get used to the thought, because you're going to be for the next nine months." I flatly told her with the straightest face that I could pull at that time. "Sondra, no matter how many times you cry or complain about this, it's not goin' to change anything. I hope you know 'the talk' by now and whatnot from your health class because your virginity is no more and you're carrying three little infants inside of you thanks to Dally since he decided to take you and Johnny to Buck's last party."

Sondra snapped her attention back over to me. Her tears were taking their time to slowly drip down her face, but instead of looking like she was about to break down in tears all over again, her face looked as if it was glowing redder than Tim's that one time when Dally got out of the cooler and slashed his tires. Man, a girl's emotions could certainly speed all over the place in just a blink of the eye. Now I'm actually kind of _glad _that I haven't been dating, especially ever since that night with what happened to Dawn...

At the mention of Dawn's name in my head, a pout attempted to slide its way across my face, but I kept it away as much as I could as I slowly came to another stop at a different red light. By the looks of this traffic that seemed to just fall out of the sky, I have no clue when Sondra and I would make it back to my house.

My eyes grew wide at the sight of the different SUV's and other types of souped-up cars that were suddenly parked on the road, not even moving an inch. At the different sounds of honking horns and radios being turned up to different tunes, I felt like I was just going to bash my head into the steering wheel and yank my hair out. I already had a lot on my mind with Sondra's shocking pregnancy, and all of the noise coming from all of the different cars certainly wasn't helping with my forming headache.

I rested my head back in my seat and grasped a deep breath, releasing it a few seconds later to remain calm. After that, I turned my head a little so I could see Sondra. Boy, I don't think I've ever seen a girl look so blustered before in my entire life. I thought Kitten was bad when she got an attitude, but Sondra certainly broke that record. It was as if she was a lit bomb that was getting ready to blow up.

"Darry," She finally spoke up. The tone of her voice was eager, desperate for answers. "How in the hell am I supposed to raise three babies all by myself?"

My eyes instantly swarmed with anger at the language that she was using, and I sternly pointed one of my fingers at her like my mother would do in a time like that.

"You better watch your mouth, or else I'll tell Dally to hold you down so I can rinse it out with soap and water!" I hissed, and believe me, that got Ponyboy and Soda both to behave themselves and watch what language they allowed to pass through their lips under our roof.

Though, the redness from Sondra's face didn't fade. Her teeth were slimly exposing through her peeling back lips. I could see that they were clenching, and I way hoping to God that her emotions would go randomly switching around yet again at any moment now. I didn't even care if she went back to crying; atleast I would have an easier time comforting her and I wouldn't have to deal with her sassiness.

"Sonny, you're not goin' to have to go through this all by yourself. I already told you that the rest of the gang, including myself and especially Johnny, are going to help you. I already gave you my plan for the baby clothes, the nursery, cribs, and changing tables, and I'm sure that my parents maybe even kept some of mine, Soda's, and Ponyboy's bottles, baby toys, and whatever else from our infant years up in the attic." I stopped my new lecture so I could take in a deep breath, but instead of continuing right after I let it out softly, I hesitantly turned my head and fixed my eyes back on the now fifteen-year-old tomboy. She was no longer looking at me, but she was staring down at her lap, and the redness was slowly fading from her face.

"I promise you, Sondra...you're not going to go through all of this all by yourself. You have me helping you out, and Johnny, and the whole rest of the gang for that matter." I softly, but confidently spoke. Sondra, however, still didn't look satisfied.

"...Are there possibly any other options for these babies?" Sondra quietly asked in such a new innocent tone that had her seeming even more sensitive than all three of the Cade's combined.

Concern took no hesitation to flood my eyes, and I confusedly raised an eyebrow as I asked in a drop-dead serious voice: "What are you talkin' 'bout? Other options?"

Hesitantly, Sondra nodded her head.

"Yeah," She squeaked. "I mean...instead of raising these babies, considering everyone in the gang except you aren't even passed twenty yet, what else can I do with them?"

It took me a couple of moments for me to clench onto Sondra's words and hold them long enough to think them each through. At first, I had no idea what she meant by any other options, but after considering her question for some time, I honestly couldn't believe what she was saying. Was she really Sondra Allison Prescott? Was I really talkin' to the same teenage tomboy that I recently drove to the hospital? Sondra just _loved _kids! Sure, she's only fifteen, but these are still hers and Johnny's sons, daughters, one son and two daughters, or two sons and a daughter.

"Sondra Allison Prescott..." I barely had to choke out her full name from being full of so much shock. "Are you _seriously _considering to give your babies away to the orphanage? You're actually plannin' to go ahead and squeeze out these three living, breathing things made from you and your boyfriend to just give them away to complete strangers?"

Sondra hesitated, but then bit down on her thumbnail and shrugged.

"Sondra, are you sure that's really a good idea?" I was beginning to grow worried on the inside. "I mean, what if the triplets get split up or their adopted parents are just absolutely horrible?"

Sondra's eyes began to nervously roll around. This time, I allowed my worried frown to pop up across my name, and unlike the usual me, plead filled my eyes.

"No matter what you do, Sonny, these babies will always be yours and Johnny's. I can _promise _you that if you give them up...you're only goin' to regret it."

I was met with nothing but pure silence, other than all of the other cars honking horns and roaring music coming from the other side of each closed door of my truck. Sondra kept her mouth shut, looking as if she was going as pale as a ghost, and she didn't dare to look at me in the eyes. I waited patiently instead of saying anything else. She and Johnny were the main victims of this whole thing, and soon enough in a couple of months, there would be three little half greasers/half Regulars joining the gang...that is, if Sondra didn't give them up to some random people who could be terrible to a whole new level and neglect and abuse the triplets. We already had enough people in the gang who were and some still are abused. Johnny made sure to make everyone in the gang promise to never speak about his, Cassidy's, and Jocelyn's parents or their home life because Sondra was just in the middle of turning her whole life around. Now I know two things for sure. One, Sondra's life was only turning _a lot _more than it should've, and two, no one could speak about Mr. and Mrs. Cade. If Sondra risked getting all panicked up or worried to the max, she could only risk having a miscarriage.

"...Sondra?" I finally decided to break the quietness.

"...What?" She innocently squeaked.

I allowed a sigh to escape, this one full of more sadness. "...Please don't give up these babies. Trust me, it's like giving away a puppy after keeping it for just a few days, but much, _much _worse and _very _much harder. Giving up a child isn't like giving up a pet. You'll only regret your decision sooner or later if you dare allow social services to take yours and Johnny's own flesh and blood away from you, never to see or know who truly brought them into this world."

"Look, I didn't say that I actually was planning to have someone else adopt these babies," Sondra spoke up again, turning her head over to look into my eyes.

"Then what did you mean by any other options?" I confusedly raised an eyebrow, but all the fifteen-year-old tomboy did in response with straighten her lips out and slowly stare back down at her lap. I tried my best to wait patiently, but she didn't bother to say anything back to me. Not even a simple "Never mind." came out from her mouth. All I was met with yet again was dead silence. I attempted to open my mouth to ask Sondra the same question, but before I could, I snapped my attention back in front of me to realize that the traffic was finally starting to move. Relieved, I released a giant breath and grasped the wheel, and when I was finally able to start driving myself when the light turned green again, I felt a little bit of weight lift off from my chest and mind. However, it was pretty obvious that a hell of a lot was still remaining.

"...Don't mind it, Darry..." Sondra suddenly said in the quietest tone possible.

Confusedly, I raised an eyebrow and stared at her for a second. "Don't mind what?"

"...My question on the other options that I could turn to," She replied with a simple shrug of her shoulders. "...It's nothin' too big, so you don't need to worry 'bout it."

"Are you sure about that, missy? You're my friend here, so if this is something even a little big, I think that I have the right to..."

"It's not, Darry," Sondra cut me off and she shook her head at me, but I could tell that something wasn't right. I figured that she would be glad that I was going to make sure that the rest of the gang, including myself, of course, to help her take care of and love these three little infants. However, there was this feeling that was digging deep into the pit of my stomach, telling me that Sondra wasn't telling me something that she should've been. I know that she's pregnant and just fifteen, and I understand that the gang will be pretty rattled by such news, especially Johnny, but that shouldn't make her so down in the dumps. I mean, I could already tell that Dally was going to be absolutely furious, and if I ever catch him even making the slightest dirty or bad gesture in front of any of the three little Cade's, I'll kick his butt into the next generation. I was already going to smash his head in whenever Sondra decided to confess about the pregnancy, considering how he knew how I felt about Buck and his parties, but he still took Johnny and Sondra with him. Nevertheless, no matter what we say or do to ourselves or each other, we're still a gang of great pals until death parts us each. Even after death, we'll still be close in the next world. Though, I knew Sondra wouldn't listen to me if I told her something like that since this was kind of a bad timing, so I just kept my mouth shut and tried to convince myself that everything was going okay with her. However, I couldn't...

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**A/N: Cliffhanger! What's going on in Sondra's head? **

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	9. It's A Plan Then?

**A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter! It means a lot! Remember, the more reviews I get, the more my inspiration rises, and that means the chapters will come out faster. _Hint, hint_ there! Now, not much to say here unless if it's that I know that this chapter is short, but it leaves off with ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER, of course! Please review and I hope you enjoy the chapter! Onward and happy reading, everyone! :D :D**

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_Darry's POV_

Sondra and I didn't bother to say another word to each other. That strange feeling from Sondra's question on other options was still eating away at the pit of my stomach, swallowing hard and only expanding more by the minute. Something was definitely not right here, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Sondra told me that it wasn't _too _big of a thing to think hard over, but wouldn't that mean that there was still a chunk to consider? I mean, she was keeping her voice to herself a whole lot more than usual now. I was one of her new friends and I was totally supporting and encouraging her throughout this whole pregnancy thing, but she still refused to speak another word. Though, I didn't stop her from hesitantly fixing the radio to play some Elvis music to fill the somewhat awkward silence that was honestly beginning to get on my last nerves. After listening to Mickey Mouse on the TV, Two-Bit's wisecracking jokes, Dally's negative outbursts, Soda and Steve's playful bickering as they wrestled and fooled around, and whatever else went down under my roof, I was immune to noisy people and areas. However, when there just wasn't much noise or any at all to attempt tuning out after awhile, I began to grow annoyed. Strange and pathetic, I know, but I need my childish kid brothers and the reckless gang.

Luckily, Sondra and I didn't slam into anymore traffic, so we were able to make it back to my house around 10:30. We had been gone for almost an hour and a half, but we thankfully got through all of those other cars and survived the annoying horns honking and different loud music roaring. Sondra was still refusing to say a single word; she had been keeping her voice all to herself ever since she told me that whatever this "other options" chat was about wasn't anything too big to think about. All that she was doing now was staring blankly down at her lap and nervously twirling her thumbs around. I could tell that she was maybe thinking about how she was going to have to come clean and tell the gang, especially Johnny, the truth about the triplets sooner or later. She was already a week in, and it only took about two-to-three months before a pregnant girl's stomach would start showing a baby bump.

"Sondra, are you alright?" I finally decided to break the silence and turn off the radio after I parked my truck in the driveway.

Sondra's pale blue eyes glimmered in the sunlight as she gazed over in my direction. She didn't say anything to me for about five seconds, but then she unbuckled her seatbelt and said: "I'm fine...I'm just thinking some things through. That's all."

I bit down on my bottom lip for a moment and chewed on it, but then stopped. Understandingly, I nodded my head and softly sighed to myself. How in the world was I going to be able to help Sondra if she didn't want to pull through the truth? She knows now that she's actually pregnant, but she wouldn't be if Dally hadn't taken her and Johnny to Buck's previous party when he knows by heart that I don't like anybody but him and/or Two-Bit going there to hang out. They could actually look out for themselves and they knew the score real well. As for the rest of the gang, nobody knew as much as Two-Bit and Dally. Hm...that's somethin' I never thought I'd say.

"You know that if you ever need to talk anythin' through, I'm here for you, right?" I asked with that rare plead beginning to shine in my eyes, but I tried to hide it as much as possible. I'm Superman...I help people with whatever trouble they have...I don't seem desperate for help myself and risk their faith in me to go down into the toilet and get flushed.

Sondra nodded her head and softly said: "Yeah, I know...but I'd rather think this through by myself for now. If I need advice, I'll make sure to talk to you, Darry."

A small smile had curled its way up on the fifteen-year-old tomboy's lips, but for some reason, that strange feeling in the pit of my stomach wasn't vanishing like I thought it would. Her soft words were assuring and her tiny grin was sweet, but I guess that that wasn't enough for my strong unsettled feelings to shift and fade away.

"If you don't mind me by asking," I grinned a little myself to help Sondra's own possible unsettled feelings shift. "When are you planning to tell the rest of the gang, especially Johnnycake?"

Without any hesitation, the small grin instantly was swiped away from Sondra's lips, and they went straight again as she gazed back down at her lap again. She began to fiddle around with her nails, as if she was nervous about an upcoming test or something like that. I should've just kept my mouth shut. We both already had a lot on our minds, and we just found out about the whole pregnancy thing just maybe about thirty minutes ago. Sondra was pretty much shedding tears the whole time about the triplets. I don't think she thought once about how to handle it with the rest of the gang, and honestly, I couldn't blame her.

"I honestly never thought about how I was going to tell the truth to Johnny, the gang, my mini 'gang', or even Kenny just yet. I mean, this isn't going to be something that Johnny, Kitten, Ponyboy, or even Dally will expect from me. No one from the gang will expect me to say that I'm pregnant, I bet." Sondra took in a deep breath, as if she was about to say some more words, but instead of saying anything, she puffed her golden blonde bangs out from dangling in front of her eyes. I could tell that she picked that up from Kitten.

"I can't argue with that," I was trying my best to hide a pout from spreading across my face. "But I already told you at the hospital that a woman's stomach starts to show in the first two-to-three months, but considering that you're having triplets...you might possibly start to show earlier. You got to tell the gang sooner or later, Sonny. If you don't, what are you goin' to do in nine months when you're in the hospital?"

Sondra rested her eyes shut, and the color of her face began to go to a light shade of red all over again. Dang, I never knew that such mood swings in a pregnancy could haunt and overrule a girl in just the first week. If this is the first week, what's she going to be like by the first month? Or what about the second and third for that matter? Fourth, fifth? What 'bout the sixth and seventh, too? Man, the eighth was probably going to be a torture chamber, but when the ninth struck and she was delivering...God, help us all.

Sondra pinched the bridge of her nose and started to snarl like a junkyard dog to herself. "I'd probably be screaming for the pain to come to an end, obviously. Meanwhile in my head, I'd be cursing Johnny out for gettin' me pregnant and casing me to go through such a painful process."

"It's not Johnny's fault, Sonny. It's not your fault either. I must admit that I might've not believed you when you said at the hospital that you and Johnny didn't mean to have it, but now that I have the full story, I understand that you were both drunk and vulnerable to each other." I spoke, but with every word I said about Sondra and Johnny having intercourse, the fifteen-year-old tomboy only seemed to be getting taken over more by her massive mood swings by the minute.

"Darry, if you say one more word 'bout Jonathan and I being drunk, I will have no choice but to feel the need to punch the glass clear out of your windshield!" Sondra hissed at me, as if she was some vicious snake that was getting ready to strike at me, her so-called pray in this little "argument."

"Sondra Allison Prescott!" I pulled the full name card and formed my stern facial expression with my narrowed eyes, slightly grinding teeth, and pulled back lips. I could already see the redness beginning to drain away from Sondra's face, and a frown was starting to tug at the edges of her mouth. Just staring at her and knowing how she couldn't help her mood swings made me feel bad for raising my voice like that, but I couldn't allow her to think that she could step all over someone, especially me, just because of her mixed emotions.

Sondra took in a deep, soft breath and held it in for probably five seconds.

"I'm sorry, Darry. I don't mean to get all angry out of nowhere, but I can't help my mood swings." The tone of her voice was now full of complete innocence, and I could tell by that puppy dog look that was now on her face that she meant every word.

I finally cracked, allowing my frown to be exposed. Even Superman couldn't be happy all of the time. I was more stressed out than anything with keeping the gang together, paying off the bills, going grocery shopping, roofing houses, making sure I made time for Ponyboy's track meets and whatnot, and now there was Sondra's pregnancy. I had a lot on my plate, but I wasn't ever going to bother picking any of it off and tossing it away. Everything on my plate was important.

"You don't need to apologize, Sonny. I know that you didn't mean to snap at me, but I think that you should know that I believe that most of these mood swings are coming from your stress towards how Johnny and everyone else will react towards this. You know what's going to happen if you get too worked up, so I'm not going to bring it up again. You're only in the first week though, and no offence, but you're moody as heck." I lectured, but to my surprise, Sondra nodded after I finished talking.

"I know that I'm moody, but I can't help it. They just overpower me and come out whichever way they'd like to come out."

"_Because _you're so stressed out," I pointed out with a shrug. "The faster you tell everyone, the faster you'll get the hang of your mood swings and these months will fly by."

Sondra sighed softly to herself and shrugged. "Look," She turned her attention back over to me. "If you promise not to tell anybody, then I'll make a plan on how to tell them myself, but I want to make sure that Johnny is the first I tell."

I nod my head. "Yeah, I think that sounds like a good plan, Sonny. Tell me when you think you're ready, because I'll be there to help you out if needed. Meanwhile, I'll be moving everything out from our guest room and taking it all up into the attic. The faster I get started on the nursery, the better. I can simply just start when nobody else is around. I mean, nobody even bothers to open the guest room's door."

Sondra raised her eyebrow at me. "But we don't even know what the genders of the triplets are."

I shrugged. "But by the third month, we will. The specific male and female parts develop by then, so you can get another ultrasound then to determine the genders later on. I'll just set up all of the baby toys and maybe build some shelves and many even a cabinet to place their baby bottles in. I'll get started on the cribs and changing tables probably next month since those are going to take up the most time."

Sondra stared at me for a moment before she shrugged at me. "Then...I guess that...it's a plan?"

Approvingly, I grinned a little and nodded my head a few soft times as I said: "Yes, it's a plan, Sondra. Now come on; let's get inside the house instead of just sitting in here for God knows how much longer."

Nodding a few times, Sondra opened up the passenger's door and hopped out, balancing herself before letting go of the door's handle since my truck was higher than it seemed off of the ground. That, and Sondra was a little bit smaller for her age. I then climbed out of my truck myself, slamming the driver's door shut behind me and making sure that every door was locked before I followed Sondra up the front porch.

Like always, the door was unlocked, and when I opened it up for Sondra to walk in first, we were both greeted with the sound of Mickey Mouse's theme song on the TV. Confusion swiped across my face, and I concernedly raised an eyebrow. I could tell that by the look on Sondra's face that she was just as confused. Was Two-Bit chilling back at the house again after deciding to ditch the rest of the school day? That wouldn't surprise me, but he could've atleast told me before he left that he was probably going to ditch.

Sondra and I exchanged our facial expressions, keeping quiet and taking in the Mickey Mouse noises for a couple of more seconds, right before I slightly jerked my head a few gentle times towards the open doorway and motioned for Sondra to walk in. When she nodded and did as I said, I headed in myself, allowing the door to slam shut like it always did whenever somebody other than the Cade's entered.

Nonetheless, I was proven wrong about Two-Bit when both mine and Sondra's eyes met the sight of Kendra kicking back on the couch with her bare feet on the coffee table, and in her hands, she was holding a plate with a piece of chocolate cake on it. Her emerald eyes were glued to the singing and dancing mouse that was on the TV, and the creamy chocolate icing was decorating her lips. Crumbs were at the side of her mouth, and my the looks of the small stain that was on the sleeve of one of her new shirts that Dally "bought" for her, I could see that she wasn't using a napkin to clean her face up. Atleast seeing Kenny looking like that got a few soft chuckles out of Sondra, along with a tiny grin.

Sondra lifted her arm and slightly waved. "Hey, Kenny."

Kendra's emerald green eyes unlocked from the screen, and she instantly snapped her attention over to me and Sondra as we continued standing there by the doorway with little smiles plastered on our faces.

"Sondra, what are you doin' here?" Kenny made sure that she swallowed what was in her mouth first before speaking.

"I'm playing hooky today," Sondra shrugged her shoulders, but then she pointed to her slightly grinning lips as she said: "You got a little something..."

"Darry," Kenny said as she used the exact same sleeve of her hot pink T-shirt to wipe away the remaining crumbs and chocolate icing from her mouth. "I hope you don't mind that I spared myself a piece of chocolate cake. I just came in 'bout thirty minutes ago and I was hungry, so I offered myself a piece of cake."

"Nah, it's fine, Kenny," I shook my head at her, but then examined the rest of the living room to see if Dally was kicking back in the recliner or resting on the floor, but he wasn't anywhere. Usually Kenny would be hanging out with him like she's been doing ever since he allowed her to stay with him in his room at Buck's place.

I raised my eyebrows with concern and gazed back at Kendra. "Hey, where's Dal at? I figured that you would be hangin' out with him right about now..."

Kenny's lips curled up into one of her precious smiles, and she shrugged as she removed her feet from the coffee table. After that, she rested her piece of cake down and turned the TV down so the volume possibly wouldn't have any neighbors filing complaints. That already happen once with Two-Bit, but we were lucky to just get a warning that time. We couldn't risk having it happen again.

"Yeah, Dally decided that he had 'nough of me for these passed few days, so he told me that I better go away so he could have some time to himself." Kenny explained, and she took in a deep breath, beginning to go on with more words as she released it. "So, I decided to come back here and hang out while Dally left to...I think he said the Dingo or somethin' like that."

That did sound _exactly_ like Dally...although knowing him, he "probably" used more dirty and cruel language towards Kendra when he told her to leave him alone. But how in the world was Kenny so cheerful and full of life like Soda, and not to mention one heck of a joker like Two-Bit if Dally says all of this stuff to her? She doesn't even frown when he calls her a name, and over these passed couple of days, I can promise anyone if they asked me that Dally probably called Kenny every word in the book and insulted her in every way. She didn't seem affected one bit though.

"I apologize for Dally and his certain ways of dealing with others. He's seriously too stubborn and selfish for his own good once in awhile." I informed, but I could tell by the way that Sondra rolled her eyes there that she wasn't fooled at all by my words. Okay, so Dally _was _too stubborn and selfish for his own good a whole lot more than "once in awhile..." but I'm just trying to help Kendra keep him in a good light...even though that's pretty impossible after anybody gets to know him. But surprisingly, I had no trouble there with keeping Dally in a good light in Kenny's everlasting green eyes at all, because she was actually still giving me and Sondra that grin of hers. She seriously reminded me greatly of Pepsi-Cola.

"I don't really mind Dally and his "polite" behavior, to be honest. I'm pretty used to being dissed and whatnot, considering I have an abusive ex-boyfriend and I lived in New York for that matter." Kenny shared, and I honestly didn't know what to say to all of that, so I just kept my mouth shut instead of risking saying something that was totally ridiculous.

"Hey, Darry," Sondra softly spoke up. Kendra and I both turned our undivided attention towards her as she said, her eyes glued on my face: "I'm going to sit on the front porch to get some air. I'll be back in in awhile."

Understandingly, I nodded my head a single time and watched her as she exited through the front door, but she held onto it so she could softly shut it behind her. Without a doubt, I could tell that she was going out there to think some more about the triplets, and she probably didn't want to be in the same room as her cousin too soon.

Kendra concernedly raised an eyebrow at me, and she placed her hand on her hip as she asked: "Where were you two?"

I crossed my arms over my chest and reminded myself of two things. One, my promise to Sondra, and two, I was Superman in the gang's eyes. Kendra could tell that something was up, but I could tell that she had no idea how to put her finger on it and directly figure it out.

"I just took her out someplace that we very much needed to visit is all. I didn't want to leave her here all by herself, so I took her along." I explained.

Kendra didn't seem satisfied in my response though. She studied me, tapping her chin as she gazed from the top of my head, to the bottom of my boots. Back up, back down, back up, back down. Her eyes were just flooding up with more and more confusion by the minute. I knew that I had to drag her away from this topic, because I couldn't risk her finding out about the triplets just yet. I had absolutely no clue on how a New Yorker like Kendra would handle her younger cousin having it and getting pregnant after she recently turned fifteen.

I raised my eyebrows back at Kendra. "Can I help you with somethin', Kenny?"

She hesitated, but then shrugged as she simply shook her head and said a straight up, "No."

Suddenly, the phone rang, and a wide smile spread across Kendra's face again as she clapped her hands and said in an awfully cheery voice, as if she was never concerned, "That must be Dally!"

"Dally?" I instantly looked confused. "Why would Dally be calling?"

"Because I made him swear to call me atleast one time, or else I'll slash Tim Shepard's tires and blame it on him!"

I honestly didn't know how I could string some words back after such a gleeful person like Kendra said something rebellious like that. So, I decided to keep my mouth shut, leaving Kendra to skip off to the kitchen and pick up the phone.

_Kendra's POV_

Something wasn't right with Sondra. I knew my little cousin, and I knew that wherever Darry took her must be very important if they were hiding it from me and possibly the whole gang. Though, all I could think about right then was answering the phone. I scampered, as if I was some Soc in a spring meadow, and I picked up the Curtis' kitchen phone. With the most gleeful tone I could pull, I answered to expect Dally's harsh greetings or negative tone, but instead, I was greeted by somebody named Dr. Bender.

Confusion swarmed my eyes as I listened to this male doctor speak to me, as if I knew a word that he was talking about. Why was he speaking about my Sondra? My little cousin?

"Um, may I ask who you are?...You're a doctor from Tulsa's Emergency Care Hospital?...What do you mean, you're callin' 'bout Sondra?...I'm her cousin, Kendra Archer...I'm eighteen years old...wait, what do you mean by that means I have the right to know what all is happening?...Sondra missed her time of the month? So what? A lot of girls her age do...cramps, you say?...And cravings, too?...Um, I believe those are just signs of Mother Nature approaching...huh?...An ultra-what?...Listen, why are you calling?...To just inform Sondra that her due date is in July?...What do you mean by that? Is this a sick joke?...An ultrasound? And you saw..._three _hearts?..."

Wait a minute...huge cramps...no period...massive cravings and extreme morning sickness...a whole tired more often and odd change in sleeping patterns...all of that and a due date could only mean...holy crap...

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**A/N: Like I said, CLIFFHANGER! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll attempt updating! Please review and I'll see you all in the next chapter! Thanks, everyone! :D :D :D :D**


	10. Kenny's Past (Part 1)

**A/N: Hi, everyone! Who is ready for a new chapter? :) First, I got some news: I'm planning to make a third story with the gigantic cliffhanger I'm leaving off in the final chapter, but that's still awhile away. I'm still plotting everything out, but right now, I'm leaning more towards it being a possibility. **

**Now, I just wanted to say thank you to those who reviewed! It really means a lot! Remember, the more reviews, the more updates come out as fast as I can get them to come! ;) **

**Also, I got a request for me to start showing Johnny's POV towards the situation, but I'm planning for that to happen probably in the next two chapters. _Maybe_; I'm still not sure, but we'll see. :)**

_Italic-Memories_

Regular print-The present

**Please enjoy and review! :D :D :D :D**

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_Darry's POV_

Phew...that was a close call with Kendra. I didn't know about Sondra and Johnny, but I was going to have just as a difficult time with keeping Sondra's pregnancy a secret as Sondra herself. I didn't know when, but she promised me that she was going to confess the truth to Johnny soon. After that, I would not stop until the whole gang knew the truth, and I would make sure that we would all stick just as close as we are now when everything is revealed.

I slid off my boots and decided to pick up Kendra's leftover can of soda and icing smudged plate. Sometimes she reminded me a whole lot of Two-Bit, minus the drinking. Then there's the love for Mickey Mouse, the craving for chocolate cake, the wisecracking attitude...you name it. Just as I decided to pick up Kendra's trash, I peeked out the window to see Sondra sitting on the steps of the front porch. Like I was afraid of, she was softly crying to herself. That honestly had my heart feeling as if it was about to snap clear in half at any moment. I wish that Sondra wasn't so stubborn from time to time. If she wasn't, then maybe she would come to me for consoling like I promised her I would if she needed it. I mean, I know that she said that she needed some time to herself, but still.

Hiding my frown so Kendra wouldn't see, I headed into the kitchen only to find Kendra looking heartbroken. She was sitting in a chair at the kitchen table, hiding her face in her hands and having her long hair dangle as she quietly sniffled.

Concernedly, I raised an eyebrow. "Kenny, are you all right? Did Dally say something that finally snapped you?"

Kendra took in a giant gasp of air, which honestly made me quietly yelp to myself. Though, she didn't say anything back to me. I knew that Dally must've hurt her somehow. Why else would Kendra be crying all of the sudden? There wasn't any other person that I knew of that could've struck Kendra's heart like that and get her beyond emotional. Man, now I was _seriously _going to mangle Dallas.

After tossing the trash away, I walked back over to Kendra and gently placed my hand on her shoulder. I was about to give it a gentle squeeze, but she roughly shrugged my hand away before I could.

"Kenny, what's wrong?" I was beginning to grow nervous on the inside, but things only got worse for me when Kendra finally decided to look at me. Slowly, she turned her head up to meet my eyes, and I noticed how heavily red-rimmed her eyes were. Salty tear streaks stained her beating red face, but what stunned me to the point was that she began to growl viciously like a junkyard dog. Her teeth clenched furiously, and she sharply narrowed her eyes so she could be shooting daggers at me.

I could've sworn that I paled. I don't think that I've ever been so scared of any girl, even Kitten when she had a temper...and she had one hell of a _gigantic _temper when it snapped. Kendra wasn't as bad as hers, but it still got me nervous.

"...Kenny?" I nervously gulped as I slowly began to back up.

"You..." Kendra hissed at me, the tone of her voice full of hatred and warning, but before I could dare say another word, it was too late. Kendra had leaped up from her chair and angrily bashed into me, only so she could pin me to the cabinets and grasp the neck line of my shirt. My eyes shot huge, beginning to flood up with a mixture of fright, shock, and nervousness.

"Kenny, what in the world is going on? Let go of me!" I commanded, but she refused and only gripped my shirt harder. Her knuckles were beginning to go pale and tremble.

"A better question would be..." Kendra viciously growled through grinding teeth. "Who in the hell got _my_ baby cousin _pregnant_?"

I could've sworn that my heart dropped, and I instantly began to pick up on my breathing, quietly but quickly. Though, I remained as calm as I could, reminding myself about how I was Superman and it was my job to fix issues, big or small, out. Letting my nervousness slip out a bit, I gulped quietly before I asked: "What are you talkin' about, Kenny?"

Kendra took no hesitation to press her nose against mine. I wasn't sure if I was beginning to even sweat some by this point.

"Don't you even dare to freaking try lying to me, Darrel Curtis! I'm a New Yorker, aren't I? Same as Dallas Winston? We're practically built in with lie detectors!"

Knowing I couldn't deny anything that she just bellowed in my face, I decided not to make eye-contact with her any longer. Those emerald green eyes of hers that were usually full of excitement and love were now flooding up with nothing but complete rage and seriousness.

Kendra's eyes narrowed. "Answer me, Darry! Who got my Sonny pregnant?"

I finally decided to dare myself to look firm, narrowing my eyes and slightly clenching my teeth. "What makes you think that Sondra's pregnant?" I sternly demanded to know, now thinking heavily about my own promise to Sondra. "Where did you even get that from? I thought that you were talkin' to Dally!"

This time, Kendra rolled her eyes, obviously getting annoyed. "No, it wasn't Dally on the phone! I should've known that a no-good thug like him wouldn't bother to keep some promise! That means I have some tires to slash later on tonight, but don't try to pull over my main concern, Darry! That was Dr. Bender callin' about Sonny's due date!"

"Due date?" My eyes shot huge all over again. "...Oh crap..."

"Oh, that's right, '_crap_'..." Kendra growled and grasped my shirt even rougher. "Now...who got _my _Sondra _pregnant _with _triplets_?"

A tight knot began to clog up my throat, but I swallowed it down the best that I could. Sondra was definitely going to release many more of her ridiculously changing mood swings on me, but what choice did I have? Kendra was without a doubt feisty as hell, and I knew that if I didn't confess the truth, Kendra was possibly going to kill me. If she gripped my shirt any longer, one of two things were going to happen. One, my shirt was going to get tore right off. Or two, I was going to get strangled.

I heavily sighed. "...All right, fine...you caught me, okay? Sondra _is _pregnant with her boyfriend's babies...but they didn't mean to have sex to begin with."

The anger and seriousness instantly vanished from Kendra's face, and complete sorrow took its place. Her eyes began to blur up with more tears, and her mouth fell open to form a somewhat small 'O' shape. She unclenched my shirt finally, and slowly, she took a few steps back.

"...How? _How _did they..." Kendra went on trying to stutter out her words, but no matter how hard she tried, they just kept getting jammed in her throat.

"They got drunk..." I regretfully shook my head as I fixed my shirt. "..._Somebody_ took them to a wild party where the punch was spiked."

Kendra cuffed her hands over her mouth and allowed her salty tears to drip down her face. "Oh my god...when...oh my god...no..."

I shamefully frowned, despite that I was trying not to. "I'm afraid that she and Johnny did the deed a week ago, sometime before you showed up here, and before her surprise birthday party took place. I ended up takin' her to the hospital today...and it's true...it's all true...she's pregnant with Johnny Cade's triplets."

Silence met the kitchen for about five seconds, until Kendra bit down on one of her thumbnails. "...How's Sondra taking it?"

I sighed. "Not well...she's barely wanting to talk now, and whenever she does, her mood swings get the best of her. Not only that, but she didn't want me to blab the truth about her pregnancy to anybody, even you. She wanted to wait to find a way to tell Johnnycake first."

Kendra crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh man..." She sighed, regretful. "It's as if it's happening all over again..."

My eyes went wide, and I concernedly raised an eyebrow. "Again? What do you mean...it's as if it's happening all over _again_?"

Nervously, Kenny began to roll her eyes all around, taking her time to respond as she made sure that she didn't look at me directly in the eyes.

"...I'm just goin' to go have a talk with Sonny 'bout all of this, okay?" Kenny innocently said when she finally broke the somewhat awkward silence. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that her mood swings don't snap on you. Besides, it's not your fault...I technically _did _threaten you, after all."

I didn't say anything back; I didn't get the chance to. Kenny left me, her arms crossed over her chest and her emerald eyes pooling up with a mixture of what felt like plead and sorrow to me. It was as if she had just witnessed a good friend of hers or a relative get murdered. Though, all I could do was stand there in the kitchen, frozen in my steps and obviously too stunned and too upset to follow Kendra. But...what did she mean by it's as if it's happening all over again?

Suddenly, my heart felt as if it took a giant leap across the globe and back. I paled, and my eyes shot huge. Oh my god...that could only mean...

_Kendra's POV_

Hot, steaming, salty tears were welding up in my eyes and drenching down my face. This just couldn't be happening...Sondra just _couldn't _be carrying triplets...but I knew deep down that it was all true. This was happening all over again...it seems just like yesterday was that dreadful night..._that _scarring night that I would unfortunately never forget with Reese, my ex.

When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the Curtis' house, I only had two things on my mind: My past, and Sondra's pregnancy. I don't ever believe that I've been attacked with so much pain and darkness ever since I first decided to leave New York for my break from college. Growing up there, especially as a loner like myself, you begin to form an attitude and get tough all by yourself pretty quickly. I'm pretty sure you can even hold a blade or some kind of weapon before you could walk on your own wobbly knees.

I lost my old man to the war...when he left, it wasn't long before a letter was sent back to New York about how he was MIA. Later on, he was found all shot up with his blood and guts spread all over the ground...limp...pale...glassy eyed...my father was dead. As for my mother, she seemed to shatter into millions of pieces after my dad was killed, as if she was a mirror. The pointy and broken shards were her heart, and every tear that came down her face resembled something in her life that she was leaking away. My little brother and I were two of those things that seemed to vanish, as if we were never born.

Daniel...even just thinking about his name gave me the chills...but he was my kid brother. After my father passed away, and my mother seemed to go into a mental breakdown, Daniel was all that I had left. I loved him to death, and I knew that he loved me just as much in return. I still remember the mornings when I would tickle him awake, and the nights when I would read to him, turn on his favorite nightlight, and then tuck him in. There were also times where I would play around with him in the mud, helping him get all scrubbed in the bathtub afterwards. We did everything together...but unfortunately, he wasn't the same after our father was killed and our mom tuned us out. He was just seven years old when he ran away...but when I called the fuzz to report it...by the time they found him, he was badly beaten up in an alleyway. My baby brother...my sweet, innocent little brother...he was taken to the hospital with dark bruises, deep cuts, broken ribs, and extreme blood loss. He died by the next morning.

Now Reese...he was my shoulder to cry on. Every time something horrible happened, like my dad's death, my mom's neglect, and my Daniel's beating, Reese would be there for me to open up to. However, he wasn't the best boyfriend in the whole wide world, so don't bother to be tricked by his bright bluish/greenish eyes or sweet smile. He was nothing but a spawn of the devil...evil and crafty. He always got whatever he wanted...and on this one dark night back in New York...he got _exactly _what he wanted from me.

"...Hey, Sonny," I spoke up with my cracking voice, trying my best to wipe away all of my tears.

Sondra's hands were locked over her face, but after she heard me, she released a small gasp and instantly shot her attention towards me. Her pale blue eyes were huge, swarming with pain and sorrow, red-rimmed and flooding with what seemed like millions of teardrops. Her whole face was red, stained with different salty tear streaks. Just seeing her look like that and know how she was feeling hit me directly in the heart. Before I knew it, I couldn't help myself to sniffle and cry some more, despite the fact that I was trying to hide my sadness.

"K-Kenny?" Sondra stuttered out my name. "W-What's the matter?"

Again, I attempted wiping away as many of my teardrops as I could, but it was no use. No matter how many tears I wiped away, more kept washing down my face like different waterfalls. Finally, I pouted again and sighed. With my shoulders slumped, I made my way over to Sondra and sat myself down next to her on the Curtis' front steps. The cool breeze smacked across my wet cheeks as my hot tears continued to fall.

"Sondra...you're having Johnny's triplets, aren't you?" I barely had to choke out my words, my voice cracking more by the minute.

Sondra's tearful eyes shot huge, and her mouth dropped to form a somewhat big 'O' shape. More tears came raining down her face one by one, but she didn't wait to wipe them away with her sleeves.

"...Darry told you, didn't he?" Sondra practically growled like a junkyard pooch all of the sudden. Man, Darry was right...her mood swings _were _all over the place.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Not exactly, Sonny," I honestly replied. "I made him confess by pinning him to the cabinets since I bet that you remember how hard my temper is. This Dr. Bender called, reporting about your due date...and guess who just so happened to answer that call?"

The new anger from Sondra's face instantly faded, and she suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"Oh..." She gulped down a small gulp and slowly turned her head back so she could go back to looking at the Curtis' front yard. The chilly breeze whistled through her golden blonde hair, and her red-rimmed eyes glimmered with tears as she wiped her nose with one of her sleeves. The last time I've ever seen somebody else upset like this was when Daniel got mad at me one Easter for eating the last chocolate bunny. However, this wasn't over some stupid chocolate bunny, and I wasn't dealing with my seven-year-old kid brother anymore. I was dealing with my now fifteen-year-old and pregnant cousin.

I took in a deep breath of the breezy air and released it after a few seconds. "So..." I hesitated, no longer looking at Sondra. "...What are you going to do?"

Sondra didn't look at me; she kept her watery eyes directly in front of her. Slowly, some more tears came dripping down her face, and she tucked a piece of her golden blonde hair behind her pierced ear.

Thinking that I knew exactly what Sondra was thinking, I asked in complete sorrow: "...Do you want to give up your babies?"

Though to my surprise, Sondra shook her head. "No...that's what Darry thought that I wanted to do, too..."

"Well, if you don't want to put the babies up for adoption, what do you want to do with them?" I raised an eyebrow, obviously confused.

At first, all I got in response was complete silence. Sondra bit down on her bottom lip and nervously nibbled on it for a moment. Then she turned her head and stared right into my eyes. Quietly choked up on tears, she said: "...I want to have an abortion."

My emerald eyes shot bigger than ever before, and I could've sworn that I choked on the deep breath that I recently took in. No...she couldn't have said what I think she just said...

"What?" I coughed and heavily breathed to help my heart get back to its original pace. Right now, I was sure that it was beating faster than what it did that night...

Sondra pouted, as if she was a helpless puppy, and she softly sighed. "You heard me, Kenny...an abortion."

"No!" I practically gasped at the top of my lungs, which had my little cousin's eyes shooting huge from fear. Instantly, she shushed me, but nobody seemed to be around and Darry surely didn't hear us from inside.

"Kenny, you don't have to preach it to the entire neighborhood!" hissed Sondra.

I whimpered, allowing even more steaming tears to fall from my eyes as I shook my head. "Sonny, you just _can't _have an abortion! That's even worse than giving a child away to the orphanage! You're taking such a fragile life away before it could even see, smell, touch, or hear anything in this world! It'll only be worse for you since you're having triplets!"

Sondra's eyes narrowed at me, which had my eyes flooding with plead. I've never had my little cousin angry at me before. It honestly hurt, especially after everything I've so far been through in my life back in New York.

"Well, wouldn't I be doing them a favor?" Sondra challenged me, full sassiness exploding in her tone all of the sudden. "You smell blood, you hear rumbles, you feel a blade sliding across your wrist...you see everything that's just downright horrible here in Tulsa."

Eagerly, I shook my head some more. "Abortion isn't a smart choice, Sonny! It shouldn't even be an option for you! Sure, this world is cruel and twisted, but it's only going to get worse! Do you honestly believe that killing your and Johnny's three innocent babies will solve every problem in Tulsa? Hell, Sondra! It won't even help you out! You'll be stuck with the thought how you're still no longer a virgin, and not to mention that you will sooner regret taking such a beautiful process and yanking it around to end terribly with these babies!"

That rage was no longer written all over Sondra's face. Instead, she looked mighty stunned, as if she just witnessed somebody pushing a truck successfully all by themselves. I don't think that she suspected me to raise my voice like that to her, and to be honest...I didn't see that coming either. It just happened.

"Kendra..." Sondra sounded just as surprised. "...How do you know so much 'bout regretting an abortion?"

Memories were flashing back into my mind, rapidly...one by one, they flooded in...overwhelming me...hurting my heart. My eyes became tearful yet again. Man, I never knew that a person could contain so many salty teardrops.

I took in a deep, shaky breath, releasing it a few seconds later. "I never told anybody this before, but...I had an abortion not very long ago."

Sondra's mouth seemed to drop straight to the ground, and her tears dripped down to meet the Curtis' front wooden steps. Her pale blue eyes were gigantic, marble like and remaining red-rimmed.

At the upsetting memories, I ended up breaking down again. Sniffling rapidly and shedding many more tears, I covered my face with my hands. The dark memories wouldn't stop torturing me. Whimpering somewhat loudly, I sooner felt one of Sondra's arms wrap around my shoulders. I knew that I had to get a hold of myself...this wasn't the time to have a cry fest.

"How..." Sondra sounded like she was a mixture of shock and sorrow, but before I knew it, she sounded upset. "It was Reese, wasn't it?"

Regretfully, I signed and nodded my head. "Yeah...he freaking raped me...figures he wouldn't bother to use protection, right? Of course, I got pregnant...and if it wasn't for his freaking mouth, I would have a son of my own right now..."

Sondra's pain overpowered her yet again. "You mean...Reese _forced _you to have an abortion?"

Again, I nodded with absolute regret. "...It was months ago...Reese had just gotten his ass drunk yet again at this one pub that he dragged me to for this stupid party. I didn't even want to go, but you know by everything I told you that Reese doesn't ever take no for an answer. The only positive note that came from that party was that I met a redhead named Abigail and we became very close. She was a little shorter than me, white and her red hair was long like this Cherry Valance's that you wrote me 'bout this one time. Her eyes were dark blue, swarming with happiness. We weren't the type of girls to drink or fetch a cigarette, so we just sat down and chatted while her boyfriend got drunk with Reese..."

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_God, why me? Why did Reese have to do this to me? He knows how much I hate these types of parties! They always get out of hand, mainly because of bar fights spurting out or sometimes even shootings. However, Reese didn't let me get away from him that easy...he always gets what he wants. When I even attempted asking him with complete innocence if we could go out to the movies or someplace else, he grabbed me by my throat and told me to NEVER backtalk him. Of course, I listened. _

_I kicked back at a table all by myself, ignoring the soreness that my eyes were being attacked with by the colorful; flashing lights the best that I could. I was dressed in a dark purple and black; checkered T-shirt, a worn out pair of dark blue jeans, and a pair of black; worn out tennis shoes. My hair, on the other hand, was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and I decided to wear some black eyeliner and mascara for the heck of it. _

_I was bored as hell, moaning impatiently to myself as I watched Reese drink down his sixth or so bottle of beer at the bar. It looked like to me that he had decided to jug down and get drunk with this other teenage boy, who looked about twenty or so. Reese was nineteen. _

_When I decided to raise my bottle of water to my lips to take a slurp, I realized that three other others were smirking in my direction. One boy was blonde, another was brunette with dark blue highlights, and the last had black hair with purple highlights. Annoyed, I rolled my eyes, already knowing what was coming for me. This wasn't the first time when some random guys would try sweet-talking me. _

_"Man, check out the curves on that babe!" The blonde practically howled like a wolf as he wiggled his eyebrows at me._

_I did a face-palm and began muttering to myself. "PLEASE don't tell me that THAT was addressed to ME..."_

_"Ain't she a hottie? I swear, she has more curves than a racecar track!" The black-haired boy laughed, which had him receiving a high-five from the blonde, and a pat on the back from the brunette. I would seriously never understand boys... _

_"Say, dolly, you got a name? Or a boyfriend for that matter? If not, I'm sure that we can sneak into the backroom together and..." The brunette chuckled at me, but I raised my free hand to cut him off._

_"Sorry," I said with complete sarcasm and an annoyed roll of my eyes. "I ain't interested. And to answer one of your questions, I actually do got a boyfriend, so you three best leave me alone before I get him to beat your sorry asses." _

_Instantly, the blonde and the brunette stepped back, now looking as nervous as hell. However, the black-haired boy wasn't going away so easy. _

_"Oh, so you're a spicy one, huh? I love 'em that way!" The black-haired boy grabbed my arm, and I took no hesitation to begin attempting to wiggle my way out of his strength. Unfortunately, he was much taller and he was certainly stronger than he looked. I grasped the back of my chair, my eyes huge and beginning to flood with fear as the black-haired boy kept pulling on my arm, each tug harder than the last. The brunette and the blonde suddenly began to cheer him on, and just as I felt like I was going to lose my grip on my seat, the black-haired boy was splashed in the face with some soda. _

_"What in the hell?" The black-haired boy released my arm and rubbed his eyes with his clenched fists. Heavily, I breathed, fixing my way back up correctly in my chair. The black-haired boy's whole head was drenched, and when I looked in the direction where it came splashing from, I realized that there was some redhead chick standing there. Her eyes were dark blue, narrowed furiously at the black-haired boy, and her white face was beating red. _

_"You and your buddies ought to learn some manners, you piece of no-good crap!" The redhead hissed, as if she was a vicious snake. I could tell that she was definitely not an out-of-towner. _

_Suddenly, a devious smirk spread across the black-haired boy's face after his eyes met the redhead. "Ah...so I see that there are two spicy ladies for me this evenin', huh?" _

_The redhead reached into her pocket, scowling away at the black-haired boy and his two buddies as she whipped out a switchblade. Instantly, the black-haired boy's smirk vanished from his face, and the brunette leaped behind the blonde. _

_"I swear, the only so-called "spiciness" that you're goin' to get tonight is with my blade, and I can promise you that it will definitely NOT be pretty! Now scram before I go fetch my boyfriend!" The redhead practically screeched at the top of her lungs, full of rage. _

_"Let's get out of here, boys! There are plenty of other spicy broads out tonight, I'm sure!" The black-haired boy motioned his two friends to follow him, and the three took off running like the devil was after them. _

_A satisfied smirk spread across the redhead's thin face as she slipped her switchblade away. Chuckling then, she took down a small slurp from the remains of the soda that she had splashed in the black-haired boy's face. _

_"...Thank you for doing that." I decided to say something, and the redhead flashed me a pretty smile after she swallowed what was in her mouth. _

_"It's really no problem at all. I hate guys who are pigs like that. They think that they're all high and mighty when they're truly nothin' but worthless male skanks...oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Abigail." _

_I grinned a little and nodded. "Nice to meet you, Abigail. I'm Kendra, but my friends call me Kenny. I actually prefer it."_

_"Well, it's nice to meet you, too, Kenny. Mind if I sit with you?"_

_I shrugged, still smiling. "Take a seat."_

* * *

Sondra scratched the back of her head, but she didn't need to say anything...I knew what she was mainly thinking about. Why did I just bring up my memory of Abigail when I should've been explaining about my abortion?

"...What happened next, Kenny?" Sondra broke the silence that I was using to catch my breath and fix my calmness back into place.

I gulped a little to myself, clearing my throat the best that I could. "Well, Reese sooner got his ass drunk, like I said. Reese and alcohol is _never _a good combination...and let's just say that when he saw me chatting with Abigail instead of hanging out with him...he decided to take it out roughly. He practically gagged me and snuck me into one of the pub's rooms...after that, he cut my clothes right off since I refused to take them off when his drunk voice ordered me to do so...all I remember after that is him all drunk and bare...and his haunting voice was whispering "thrust in, thrust out" as he...well, you got that picture. I couldn't do anything but scream and cry, pleading for him to stop...but all he did was threaten me and smack me across the face with every chance he got..."

Sondra's eyes were becoming more tearful by the minute, and I could tell by the look on her face that she was heartbroken. Sniffling, she pushed herself closer to my side, and I placed my arm around her shoulders.

"...It wasn't long before I found out that I was pregnant...it was pretty obvious since I knew what exactly happened between Reese and I...but when I told him, it wasn't pretty..."

* * *

**A/N: Cliffhanger! Stay tuned for part 2 of this chapter! Please review! Thanks, everyone! :D :D :D :D**


	11. Kenny's Past (Part 2)

**A/N: Hey! I apologize for how long this took to update, but I've been suffering writers block! :P**

**Either way, here's an update that I hope is worth the wait! Please review and this is for my viewers, especially my golden friend, nadine1231966! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! :D**

_Italic-Kenny's past_

Regular print-The present

**Again, please review and enjoy! Onward with the story! :) :D**

* * *

_Kenny's POV_

I would've dropped out of high school if I didn't decide to listen to that bitchy Reese. I would've been a teenage mother, but I honestly didn't care about that now. Believe it or not, I actually would've liked being a high school dropout and a young mom. Sure, others might say that that's like making your social life commit suicide, but I never got along with any of my classmates. Others always pushed me around and I was often sexually harassed by many of these jackass boys who thought that I was hot. At times, I would stand my ground and curse all of them out, but at other times, I would go crying to Reese about everything. Of course, Reese would pretend to care and beat the living crap out of whoever hurt me in any form, but it's not like Reese actually cared. He was no different from all of those other guys; he was a worthless bitch who wanted to go around and take girls virginities one way or the other. Unfortunately, I was one of his targets...I guess that I should've seen it coming since he smacked me around and cursed at me at one moment, but then suddenly switched over to be caring and comforting the next. But my home and college was back in New York; that's what I figured every relationship was like.

I'm in college to become an artist, but if I still had my baby boy, I wouldn't have gone to college. I would've found a way to make my art sell, and in the mean time, I'd ask Abigail to babysit my son while I worked to earn some extra money at some diner or something. As long as I wasn't a prostitute, I couldn't care less about what job I got; if it wasn't dirty and paid me, I would've taken it in a heartbeat.

I was stiff, feeling plenty of aches rushing all over the inside of my body from my sorrow. More and more steaming hot tears were pouring down my beating red face as I gently felt my scar from the top of my shirt. An abortion...I got a freaking damn abortion only a couple of months ago...I should've known that Reese was nothin' but an asshole that was searching for that one thing in a girl. Not her personality, but the way that she worked in a bed. He freaking sickened me...I don't even remember how the two of us became such good friends.

"Kenny?" I could hear Sondra's voice softly repeating my name as she nudged my arm a couple of times. However, I was too busy scavenging through all of my heartbreaking memories to say or do anything back.

Whenever I gazed at my hands, I couldn't help myself to think that I could've been holding a helpless little infant of my own. A little hand could've wrapped around my finger, which I would've used to playfully tap my son's nose and give his adorable little feet and tummy a few tickles. His sweet laughter would've been music to my ears, and no matter how many times he shed a single tear, I would enjoy waking up every morning and going to bed every night knowing he's safe and loved.

I always think about how he would look exactly like me. Reese might've been the other part of his DNA, but Reese wouldn't have helped us out at all. He wasn't cut out to be a father or a husband. I can probably see now why his parents killed themselves; Reese never listened, going around and doing God knows what 24/7, but not without harassing his own folks on the side. I loved and listened to my parents no matter what, but after everything shattered, I had no choice but to move on. My old man was gone, my little brother was gone...my precious baby boy was gone in the sky now, too. My mother and I were the only ones who were still around, but I'm afraid to admit that I wouldn't be surprised if I somehow found out that my mom killed herself.

No matter what I did, everything seemed to connect to my unborn son somehow. When I got dressed, I always thought about how I would've took my time to get him all dressed in the morning and before bedtime. The sunset and the stars...what I would've liked for him and I to share our bonding time over. Other girls in general...he would grow up and be the man his so-called father wasn't. My son would've been respectful and bright, doing amazing in school and winning the hearts of many teenage girls. I wouldn't have let anybody lay a single hurtful finger on him...I would've done anything to keep him alive and healthy.

Unfortunately, my life was destroyed to the next level. When I aborted my son, I regretted it up to this very day...and I wouldn't be able to stand it if Sondra, my dear cousin, made the same mistake, but with _three _helpless infants. They're gifts from God...who could be so heartless to murder a child?

I wiped away as many of my tears as I could, sniffling rapidly as more just continued to run down my cheeks. As I turned my head and gazed into Sondra's pale blue eyes, I realized that she was shedding as many tears as me. Our eyes were overflowing with salty teardrops, red-rimming our emerald and pale blue shades.

Caringly, I hooked my arm around Sondra's shoulders and held her close to my side. She rested her head on my shoulder and sniffled, allowing her tears to continue falling. As for my other hand, I gently placed it against her now flat stomach. It took me another moment to take in how three little hearts were beginning to beat inside of her. She might've just been fifteen, but teenage sex and pregnancy was a very common thing in Tulsa. Unfortunately, that is.

"If you have an abortion, you're goin' to turn into a wreck..." I took in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds. "I may not seem like a wreck, but trust me...a day can't go by without me remembering such a horrible thing that I did. I should've called off the so-called relationship with Reese when I had the chance...but Johnny is nothin' like him, Sonny."

"...Johnny was a virgin before we got drunk on accident. Trust me, I know that he's not like that bitchy Reese, but what am I supposed to do? Drop out of high school? Forget 'bout college? I can't do that!" Sondra began to whimper like a puppy. "And what about Johnnycake? I can't tell him to drop out! He's slowly improving with his grades, and if he doesn't stay in school, he'll most likely get freaking drafted when he turns eighteen!"

"Calm down, Sondra! You _don't _have to drop out of high school! You and Johnny have me and the rest of the gang here for you two, so you don't have to worry about having any kind of difficulty with these babies!"

Sondra raised her eyebrows at me. "Are you serious? Babies cry nearly all the time! How in the world will Johnnycake and I be able to focus on passin' our grades in school if we have to get up at least thirty times a night to change dirty diapers and feed our kids some bottles?"

I couldn't help myself to pout. "I know that this isn't going to be easy for you and Johnnycake, but like I said just a couple of seconds ago, you two are lucky to have me and the rest of the gang with you to help. We can help with the nighttime and early morning fits that the triplets cause, and we can take turns babysitting during the school days."

"But you're only here until your vacation comes to an end," Sondra sighed, glancing down at the ground as she scooped up a small rock and carelessly threw it. "Before we know it, you'll be back at college."

I nervously rolled my eyes to myself. I wasn't planning to tell anybody this, but I'm not actually on a vacation from college; I dropped out. I didn't care for listening to these so-called bitchy teachers go on and on nagging you about how you should run your career on top of how you have the bills to pay and a family to protect. What family did I have? I freaking had nobody, except Sondra. It was slowly taking time, but I was beginning to feel like the Curtis' gang was my new family.

"Don't worry about that, Sondra," I shook my head. "Don't get yourself worked up about this, okay? You're not alone, and you're definitely not the only girl who got pregnant after getting drunk on accident. Believe me...Abigail went through the same thing."

Sondra's watery eyes instantly shot huge. "She did?"

I nodded, instantly growing a new frown. "Yeah, she did."

Of course, Sondra curiously asked, "And what happened to her?"

More tears instantly met my eyes, and I could've sworn that my voice cracked. "...Now she's happily raising her very own twin daughters with her actual loving and caring boyfriend. He was there for her since day one, holding her hair back when she threw up, and he held her hand through the whole time she went through labor."

* * *

_I stood in front of the cracked and dusty mirror in Reese's assigned room at this cheap and crappy motel, The Nightly Night Away. Reese stayed there ever since the night he heard from the fuzz that his mother hanged herself and his father shot himself. But what really startled me about his folks suicides was that Reese didn't even seem effected. He wasn't in sorrow filled misery or anything...he still was his same self._

_Tears were dripping down at my face as I stared at my reflection, taking in how I was now sixth months into my pregnancy. I recently went to the doctors and had an ultrasound to determine the gender...I was having a boy...my own son. However, Reese didn't know that I was pregnant; he just thought that I was gaining weight from craving so many salty snacks at one moment, and then sweets at the next. I covered my mood swings the best that I could, and I would make sure to get over my morning sickness before meeting Reese anywhere. _

_I had to tell him about the baby...what was I supposed to do? Wait until I went into labor and call him from the hospital after our son comes? 'Oh yeah, you're a father now.' Reese knew that we did the deed since we woke up close to the same time next to each other with no clothes on. Nevertheless, he was too busy throwing up and complaining about his massive headache to consider how I never took birth control pills in my whole life, and there was no protection of any kind involved. _

_My long brunette hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and I was wiping away the tears from my face. I was honestly nervous over how Reese would react towards me having his baby, but I couldn't hide it from him anymore. I knew how to tell him about it to just get it over with, too. I decided to wear my new pair of maternity pajamas, which were a baggy pair of sea-blue pants and a matching, long-sleeved, slimly baggy top. On the shirt, there was a picture of a lighter blue pacifier, and black latters spelled out: "Baby Boy!" _

_I had a rough night, so my drowsiness was going to get to me one way or the other if Reese didn't get back from "paying" for his breakfast anytime soon. Yes, I would often stay at The Nightly Night Away with Reese since I didn't want to go back to my house only to find my heartbroken mom. _

_It was a gray day outside, about 9:30 in the morning on a Saturday. Reese left to get breakfast for himself around 8:00, so I knew that he would be back any moment now. I took no hesitation to get ready right when I woke up, fighting my drowsiness as I stripped my robe from me and walked to the mirror. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before I had to rush to the disgusting bathroom and seem to get rid of all of my guts. I must've thrown up about five times in a row just that single time before I was able to get back to waiting for Reese. Quickly, I flushed the toilet and washed my mouth out, right before I went back to gazing at myself in the mirror._

_When the clock struck 9:38, a startled jolt ran up my spine when I heard the front door fling open just across the room from behind me. My eyes grew as Reese quickly slipped his way in, calling out the door before he slammed it shut, "It ain't my fault that your food tastes like shit! And yet you wonder why I won't pay?"_

_I nervously bit down on my bottom lip and turned around, waiting for Reese to gaze at me to find out the truth once and for all. _

_Reese heavily breathed, locking the door behind him before he finally locked his eyed on me. At first, he must've not paid any attention to my maternity pajamas, because he slimly grinned and greeted me with a, "Morning, gorgeous!" _

_I hesitantly opened my mouth to say something back to him, but before I could, I noticed that his slight grin instantly vanished from his face. His dark eyes shot huge shortly after, but it wasn't long before they became sharply narrowed. _

_"What in the hell is that?" His lips were furiously pulled back to reveal his now grinded teeth, and he viciously pointed at my maternity shirt._

_My heart was heavily racing in my chest; I knew that Reese would've been shocked about the whole thing, but I didn't picture him ever growing furious with me. It was his ass that got drunk and forced me down to begin with._

_"Didn't we use any damn protection?" Reese angrily snapped after I quietly took my time to explain everything that led up to me being pregnant. _

_I rubbed my hands softly around on my baby bump showing stomach. "Obviously not...you were drunk, remember? You held me down and raped me...but ow we have a baby boy of our own coming in just three more months."_

_Reese furiously shook his head, and he stomped his foot on the floor. A loud echo flooded the room, making me flinch. I was praying and hoping to death that he wasn't going to hit me again like he did just a couple of nights ago. He lost a game of poker and blamed me for letting him get gambled, even though I warned him that I didn't think that gambling was such a tuff call, especially in New York. _

_"No!" Reese practically screamed at the top of his lungs. Another startled jolt bolted up my spine, making me go paler than a sheet and tremble._

_I gulped down a forming lump in my throat "...No what?"_

_Reese began to curse me out, raising both of his middle fingers at me. I'm pretty sure that he even switched over to cussing in Spanish since he probably ran out of words to fling at me in English. _

_"No, I will not freaking allow this! We're both too young to be parents! We're just in high school!" _

_"So what?" I crossed my arms over my chest. "I don't give a crap 'bout high school or college, and I know that you don't either. So what's the big deal if we have a baby?" _

_Reese's face seemed to be glowing redder by the passing moment. "Don't you freakin' get it, you worthless son of a bitch? I don't WANT any son or any daughter! And I ESPECIALLY do not want any girlfriend of mine to be carrying somethin' that involves my sperm!" _

_My eyes began to grow absolutely tearful all over again, and they shot as huge as saucers. I should've known right then and there that Reese didn't really care about me; all he cared about was getting drunk and getting plenty of girls in the sack one way or the other. _

_Angrily, Reese snatched up one of my maternity outfits and threw it at me. Luckily, I got the pants, but the shirt hit me right in the face. _

_Reese impatiently crossed his arms over his chest. "Well? What are you waiting for, skank? Get freaking dressed!"_

_"W-Where are we g-going?" I tried my best to hold back as many of my steaming hot tears as I could, but I was miserably failing._

_"Where do you think we're freakin' going, slut?" Reese did an irritated face-palm. "We're going to the hospital! You're getting a freaking abortion, you hear me?"_

* * *

Those last words from Russell before he literally had to drag me to his car would forever haunt me. Nobody would understand how hard I tried talking him out of aborting our son; I even told him that I was willing to give our baby up for adoption, but Reese denied it. He went on and on with every word in the book, uncaringly spitting in my face and yanking my hair while he was at it. With every blow Reese threw at me, I made sure to keep my baby bump shielded behind my arms. Reese took that to his advantage by punching me in the face the most; by the time we got to the doctors, I was too weak to even step foot out of Reese's truck without any help. Reese furiously muttered something in Spanish to himself as he literally dragged me again. Right when we entered through the front doors of the hospital, different doctors and nurses rushed up to us, asking eagerly about what happened. I couldn't even speak from being beat so much. Reese did all of the talking, sounding damn convincing when he described how I was jumped, and he found me in a dark alley.

All I remember after that was blocking out...but after I woke back up with that major headache, I rested my eyes on my stomach that was now flat all over again. I was stitched up, too...my baby boy was gone...and I had no actual say in it. Reese must've lied to the doctors and nurses about how I wanted to have an abortion in order to not suffer any miscarriage from "being jumped."

I don't think I've ever seen Sondra cry so much before in her entire life. If it wasn't for me listening to Reese, she would've had another little cousin.

"I would've named him Daniel...after my kid brother, you know?" I wiped away as many of my tears as I could. "...Or maybe I would've named him Gabriel...after your older brother...he wasn't goin' to be any Reese Jr. though..."

Sondra sniffled and bit down on her bottom lip shortly after. "...I don't want to have an abortion anymore, Kenny...but I don't want to go through the painful process of birth, or giving up the babies, and early parenthood either."

I released a soft deep breath of relief to myself. At least I knew now that Sondra wasn't going to make the same mistake that I did...I should've ran away from Reese before he pulled me into his rusty, ganged up on truck.

I continued to stroke my baby cousin's hair. "Don't worry, Sonny...we'll figure this out...I promise you that we'll find a way to make this all work."

Sondra and I were too caught up in our moment and tears to notice that Darry was standing at the opposite side of the front door. Tears were slimly dripping down his face, overflowing in his icy eyes. He heard everything.

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**A/N: I know, short chapter, but I'm still working through some writers block! Please review and stay tuned for the next chapter! I'm planning for Johnny's POV towards the situation to come in next, but we'll see! I'm still plotting the next chapter out! Thanks, everybody! :D :D :D :D**


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